Twice Cursed
by ZizhunWriter
Summary: AU in which Zelena was still in prison and Emma and Killian never went back in time. Regina wakes up one morning, looking forward to seeing Robin, when she discovers Henry downstairs, acting like he never stopped living with her. It's a new curse, and Regina must figure out who cast it and why, with the help of the only two whose memory she can jog, Belle and Charming.
1. Suspects

**Author's Note: I do not own Once Upon a Time. I hope you enjoy, and if you think I need to improve on something, let me know! I want to be an author someday, so constructive criticism is welcomed. Also, Gold and an evil OC will also be main characters, but I didn't have enough room to add them.  
**

* * *

Regina woke up, and got ready for the day. She was going to see Robin and Roland today, and she couldn't wait. She got dressed and went downstairs, to see Henry, sitting at the table eating a piece of toast.

"Henry?" she asked, shocked that he was at her house without a Charming in sight.

"What, Mom?" he asked, like it was absolutely normal for him to be there.

"Aren't you supposed to be …" before Regina could say 'with Emma,' Henry interrupted her.

"Yeah, yeah, I know Mom," he said, picking up his backpack and leaving his half eaten breakfast on the dining table. "I'm on my way to school right now." With that, he ran out the door before Regina had a chance to say anything.

_Henry must have lost his memory somehow_, she thought. Regina walked over to her phone to call Gold. He would have the ingredients she needed to make a potion that would jog Henry's memories. He picked up on the third ring.

"Hello, this is the pawnshop," he said.

"Gold, this is Regina."

"Madam Mayor, you wanted to talk to me, and not my boss?" It was definitely Gold on the phone, but he sounded different, quieter and almost like he was scared of her. He must have lost his memories as well, and the only thing she could think to explain the loss of his and her son's memories was another curse. That was the only thing that made sense, seeing as Emma hadn't barged in demanding that Regina give back her son, and Robin hadn't come over yet.

"Yes, I am going to come by the shop later this afternoon, probably around 3. I wanted to make sure you'd be there."

"Yes, I'll be here, but Mr. Black won't. Is that alright?" Mr. Black? Who could that be? Obviously, he was Gold's boss, and he was probably the one who had cast the curse, since she had never heard of him, or if she had, she didn't know him by Mr. Black. But, who was he really, and why would he want to cast a curse on the town that left only Regina's memories intact?

"Yes, you're the one I want to talk to," she informed him.

"Alright, Madam Mayor, I'll be here," he informed her nervously.

"You better be," she said before hanging up. She assumed that everyone thought of her the same way they did in the first curse, and she needed to act accordingly, even if Gold would be furious with her once he regained his memories.

She decided she should head to her office, since that was what she usually did every morning. She grabbed her purse and a piece of toast that was in the toaster before heading out the door.

…

She was rather surprised when she entered her office and saw Sidney Glass standing there, waiting for her to arrive. She had locked him up in the insane asylum under the hospital after the situation with Katherine, and had never expected to see him again. Yet, now he stood in her office as if he'd never left. No doubt, it was another part of this confusing curse.

"What do you want, Sidney?" she asked the reporter.

"I'm here to give you a report on Henry." So, she had Glass watching Henry? Why, was he in some sort of trouble? She felt her heart pound in her chest as she worried about her son.

"Sorry, I forgot that was today. Proceed." Glass nodded.

"He still doesn't like you," the reporter said candidly, and Regina felt as if she had been stabbed with a knife. Of course Henry didn't like her, she had been controlling and overbearing, but she had hoped things would be different this time. "So far, I have seen no sign of him trying to run away again. So, everything is normal for now."

So, Henry had tried to run away before. She must have been so mean to him, in whatever false memories were implanted in his head. She resolved to change his mind about her by treating him better and being the better person she'd promised him she'd be, even if he didn't remember the promise.

"Unless you have something else to tell me, we're done here. You may leave." She walked past him to her desk, and sat down behind it.

"I'll let you know if anything changes," Sidney promised as he walked out the door.

As soon as he was gone, Regina jumped up and walked over to her filing cabnent, where she had kept information on everyone in Storybrooke. Sure enough, the files were still there, but with some changes. Graham didn't have a file, since he was dead before the curse was cast. Gold's file was much different than before, describing him as cowardly and not a threat to her. His boss, Mr. Black, seemed to be the one she needed to worry about.

Judging by his file, Mr. Black was even more ruthless than Gold had ever been, in the Enchanted Forest or otherwise. Several years ago, he had evicted many families from their apartments in the middle of a harsh winter, for no reason except that a child who lived in those buildings had talked to him. Apparently, he'd gotten away with it, and no one had seen the families again. It was assumed that they had died from the harsh cold.

Regina now knew she was up against a very dangerous man, if the file filled with fake events was to be trusted. Either way, she would have to keep an eye on Mr. Black.

Moving on from him, she noticed that both Emma and Killian had a file. Apparently, Emma was still the sheriff. However, she was meeker and more easily manipulated than she used to be. Killian, besides being the deputy, seemed to be the same rascal he always was. She scanned the file for Robin, or a new name that could be him, but she found nothing. She hoped he was alright, and that nothing had happened to him. Maybe he had just escaped the curse, and was trying to find a way to break it.

Just then, her stomach growled, and she looked up at the clock, wondering if it was a reasonable hour to go get lunch. It was 2:50! She had spent much longer than she thought going through all the files and trying to understand the curse. It was already time to go to the pawnshop and discover exactly what had happened to Mr. Gold.

She was walking out of the building, convincing herself she could wait to eat until she had talked with Gold, when she saw someone. He slipped around the corner a split second after she spotted him. Wanting to know who it was, Regina followed him, but when she reached the corner to look, he was gone. She should have been able to catch another glimpse of him, unless he knew she had spotted him and wanted to run away from her, which made no sense. Unless he was Mr. Black. Maybe the man who owned most of the town didn't want her to know what he looked like. That made about as much sense as the rest of the day had, so she decided to assume that for now.

When she got to the pawnshop, she noticed that the sign said "Mr. Black's Pawnshop." So, he really and truly had taken Mr. Gold's position in the town. After pausing for a second to look at the sign, she walked into the shop. Mr. Gold stood up straighter when she entered, and his eyes filled with fear. However, Regina didn't notice his reaction, because she was too busy staring at his clothes.

Gold's fancy suit was gone, replaced with a slightly baggy tee shirt and a pair of jeans. He also wore tennis shoes instead of dress shoes, and his cane was a rough, wooden walking stick instead of the elegant black cane with a gold handle. He'd really changed, and there was almost nothing about him that reminded her of the Rumplestiltskin she knew over the years.

"Madam Mayor, how may I help you?" he asked, voice wavering. That's when she noticed that he looked terrified, and that there was a security camera over the door. She couldn't get the ingredients without Black finding out it was her, but she couldn't just leave. It would be very suspicious to just come and go like that, and Black would discover, if he didn't already know, that she was aware that they were under a curse.

"Mr. Gold, I'm here to offer you a job," she informed him, since she couldn't think of any other reason why she would want to talk to him without his boss present. Besides, she wanted as many assets under her thumb instead of her enemies, and she had no doubt that even in this cowardly state, Gold was a huge asset. "I am in need of a secretary, and I would like for it to be you."

He seemed stunned. "Me, your secretary?" he asked.

"Yes, you. Do you see anyone else in the room?" she replied shortly. He shook his head no, before thinking more about what she had just said.

"You want someone who can't read to be your secretary?" Now it was Regina's turn to be shocked. Gold couldn't read? Obviously, this curse had been cast mainly to harm him, and might have nothing to do with the rest of the town.

"Yes," she said, trying to cover up quickly. "Then you won't be able to read the confidential information in the documents you sort. You just need to match patterns to know which file each document goes in."

He nodded, and then a grin started to spread across his face. "I accept!"

Apparently, Black was a terrible boss, for him to want to switch over to her so quickly, without even knowing what all she would ask of him. Then, Gold's look of excitement turned to terror, and Regina knew she hadn't caused it, so she turned around.

There stood a man who Regina could only assume was Mr. Black. He was wearing a suit, just like Gold always had, but that was where the similarities ended. He was muscular and tall. His pitch black hair was cut short, and his grey eyes bored straight into Regina's soul. Then again, Gold's eyes had done that, so maybe they were more similar that she had originally thought.

"Madam Mayor, how can I help you?" he questioned coldly. His voice was powerful and loud, commanding like Gold's, but lacking the subtlety.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Black, but you can't," she informed her knew rival, before turning to her old one. "My new employee and I were just leaving." Taking the hint, Gold quickly moved from behind the counter and followed her out the door.

"And what makes you think I'll let you quit?" Black yelled, and Gold froze up right in front of the door. Regina brushed past him back into the shop, until she was standing right in front of Black. She had to tilt her head up to look him in the eye, but she didn't let that deter her in the least.

"Mr. Black, if you have a problem with Mr. Gold working for me, then maybe you should have thought about that when you were yelling at him or lowering his salary, or whatever else you did that made you a terrible boss. It's too late now, he's mine, so why don't you let me and my employee leave your establishment!" Regina had no idea why she was standing up for Gold, except that she was trying to be a better person for Henry and she really hated this new guy. Apparently, those were good enough reasons.

"I'll make you pay for this! Both of you!" he yelled after them.

_I'd like to see you try_, Regina thought to herself as she walked confidently down the road back to her office. Several shops later, she noticed her new employee was visibly shaking with fear.

"Don't worry, I won't let him hurt you while you're working for me," she told the Dark One.

He looked so relieved that it was almost unbearable. "Thank you," he said, and it was obvious he meant it from the bottom of his heart.

"It's just because injured employees don't perform as well," and because Henry would want me to be nice.

He nodded, but still had a huge smile of relief on his face. "Knock off that smile! It looks ridiculous on you!" she ordered. He nodded, and the smile fell off his face, much to Regina's relief. Gold looked downright creepy when he smiled with sincerity, seeing as she had never seen him do that before.

Once they got to the office, Regina showed him where his desk was and how to organize the documents, and sure enough, he picked it up fairly easily. By the time she was done explaining, it was four, and she really wanted to get home to spend time with Henry. She locked her office, and handed him her spare key to the building.

"Work for at least another hour, and lock up when you're done." That was when she realized she hadn't even thought about his salary, or the other factors, like how long she expected him to work. "We'll talk more about your job in the morning," she informed him, and then left for home.

…

This time, she slammed on her breaks to avoid hitting him. The person from earlier dashed in front of her, and disappeared into alley. He wasn't Mr. Black. He wasn't nearly tall or broad enough. However, she had no idea who he was. Now she had another suspect for who cast the curse; the mysterious man she only caught glimpses of.

Soon, she had pulled into her driveway and was walking into the house. She beamed when she saw Henry, and reminded herself that she had to prove to him that she was a nice person.

"Hello, Henry, how was school?" she asked, walking over to the dining room table where he was working on homework.

"Fine." Henry continued to work on his math problems.

"Well, I'm glad you had a good day." Henry looked up at her, taken off guard by his mother sounding like she actually cared about him. "Well, I'm going to make dinner. Did you want to help?" she asked hopefully.

"Sorry, homework," he told her, and continued working until his mom went into the kitchen. Once she was gone, he stopped to think. His mother, actually being nice to him! This was awesome! He hoped it continued, because maybe if it did, he would be brave enough to ask her for the favor. Just maybe.

…

Regina lay in bed, mind whirling. She really couldn't figure out this whole mystery by herself, no matter how much she wanted to. She needed help, from someone who also had their true memories. But there was no one who …

She groaned as the realization hit her. Both Charming and Belle had neither the cursed memories nor the real ones. It would be relatively easy to jog their real memories; she didn't need a potion to do that. All she needed to do was enchant an object that was important to them and they would remember. And, since this new curse hadn't taken away magic (she could still feel it coursing through her veins), that would be simple.

So now, the question was, would Belle and Charming really be that much help? The Dark One's girlfriend and the Prince might not want to go as far as it took to get things back to normal. They might stand in her way instead of being the help she desperately needed.

However, she decided to give them their real memories. She needed extra eyes and brains to figure this out, since she was busy with her mayoral duties. Even if they would complicate some matters, they would vastly simplify others. She needed all the help she could get. Soon, Regina drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Charming and Belle annoying her to no end.

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**Author's Note: If you liked this, you should check out my other story, Kidnapped. It's a modern day AU where Bae and Belle get kidnapped and Gold tries to find them. It has many other characters besides those three, but they are the main ones. If this sounds interesting, check it out. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Repercussions

**Author's Note: I know this chapter came up pretty quick, but don't expect it to be that way all the time. I am busy, and will do my best to update once a week, but once a day will rarely happen. Also, some of you have been wondering about baby Neal. He was born, and was happy and healthy before the curse hit. **

**Now, on with the story.**

* * *

Regina had stayed up late the night before, while deciding if she needed Charming and Belle. Due to that, she was groggy and grumpy when she walked into her office that morning, and was surprised to see Gold there. She was about to snap at him when she saw he was filing papers, and she remembered that she'd hired him the day before.

"You don't have to get here so early," she muttered. He nodded his head, eager to please his new boss. Regina sighed, missing the Gold she got into verbal spars with, before walking into her office. Unfortunately, he followed her.

"Did you still want to talk to me?" he asked.

"Yes, later," she snapped. He nodded and quickly left the room, before she got angrier.

Regina turned her attention to figuring out what items she needed to enchant, after filing a mental note that she needed to get Gold back into suits. It would make him look more professional, and make her feel more at ease.

The item she needed to get for Belle was glaringly obvious; the chipped cup she and her loved one were completely obsessed with. Regina had never understood it. In her opinion, they should have just bought another cup, and that would be that. However, they loved it, and it would be the perfect item for her.

Deciding what to use for Charming was much harder. Maybe his sword would work? That was the only thing she could think of, so she decided she would give it a try. Now, all she had to do was find the cup and sword.

She walked out of her office, and Gold stiffened, sitting up straighter in his desk.

"Relax, you don't have to be afraid just because I walked into the room," she told him, and he nodded nervously, trying to focus on relaxing. "I'll be back later," she informed her new secretary as she left the office.

"Where are you going?" he asked. She turned to face him, and he rambled his explanation. "You know, just in case someone calls. I know it's none of my business, but just in case someone …"

"I'll be at the pawnshop," she told him. Regina heard him gasp in shock as she left the office to go face her new nemesis and hopefully get what she needed out of him.

…

Sure enough, Mr. Black was in the pawnshop, cleaning a silver necklace. He looked up as Regina entered. "Madam Mayor, I'm sorry, but I don't have any more employees for you to steal," he spat at her. Regina just smiled sweetly at him.

"Well then, it's a good thing I don't need any more employees." Black glared at her, and put the necklace down.

"What do you want?"

"I just want to look around. I'm here as I customer, and if I see something I like, I might buy it." As she talked, she scanned the cluttered room for the sword or cup. She didn't see either.

"I'm sorry, but thieves aren't allowed to shop here."

"I am not a thief!" she exclaimed indignantly.

"You stole my employee."

"He came with me willingly!" she yelled, enraged. "You can't classify that as stealing!"

"I don't care what it's classified as, you cannot shop here anymore, unless you want to return my employee to me."

She sighed, realizing he was hard-headed and she wasn't going to get anywhere with him. "Fine, I don't see anything interesting in here anyway!" She stormed out, but on the way, she caught a glimpse of Charming's sword. It was leaning against the wall, taunting her. The sight of it just forced her into a fouler mood.

She went back to her office, trying to plot how to get the sword, to find Sidney standing just outside the office, yelling at Gold.

"You should leave at once!" the reporter yelled.

"Sidney!" she snapped, and he turned around. He had missed the dangerous tone in her voice, or attributed her anger to Gold being there.

"Madam Mayor, thank goodness your back. I came here to inform you of a problem, and I found him …"

"Sidney, Gold is my new secretary, and I am the only one who is allowed to yell at him. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Madam Mayor."

"Good. Now, come into my office and tell me what's got you so worked up."

Sidney shot one last glance at Gold, who had his head down and was trying to avoid eye contact, before following Regina into her office.

"Well, now I know why Black's so mad at you," he said once the door was closed.

"What are you talking about?" Regina asked, and she started to get worried. Maybe her new nemesis had done more to oppose her than by simply banning her from his shop.

"He emailed everyone in the town. He said that no one can associate with you until he says they can. Anyone found being pleasant to you, or letting you shop in their establishment, will be evicted from their homes."

Well, that was a shock. He had just guaranteed that no one would interact with the Mayor of their town. It would probably be impossible to even buy groceries. "This will be interesting," she mused. She was delighted, despite herself, for the challenge this would bring.

"Why don't you just give him what he wants?" Sidney inquired.

"I can't," Regina said, positive in this. If Black wanted Gold back this badly, then she needed to keep Gold away from Black, even if it cost her. That, mingled with her excitement at having another challenge, made her refuse to give her enemy what he wanted.

"Well, it's your decision," Sidney consented. "Just know that I'll have to be more discreet when I come to talk to you, and it might take me longer to get the information you need."

"Alright, that's fine," she said, before looking at some of the papers on her desk.

"Do you need anything else?" Sidney had obviously missed the hint that she wanted him to leave. She was about to dismiss him, when she realized that she _did_ need something else that he might be able to help her with.

"Actually, yes. There is a sword in Black's shop that I was going to buy, before he banned me from the shop. I need you to buy it for me. I'll pay you for it, of course."

"No, he'd notice that. I'll do it for free," he said, reminding Regina that her reporter was deeply in love with her. Why she had decided to keep him around even though he aggravated her, she'd never know. "Do you need me to buy you groceries as well?"

"No, he'd notice that. I'll find another way to get groceries." Sidney nodded, and left the office. Regina sighed, and resigned herself to catching up on the paperwork the town needed her to do. When it was twelve, Regina was starving, and decided to go get lunch. Since Granny's was not an option, she decided she could probably get leftovers from the fridge at her house.

She walked out of the office, to see Gold cowering away from Mr. Black. "One sound out of you to alert you're new boss, and I'll tan your hide."

Before he could do anything else, Regina was standing between him and her employee. "The only reason you should ever come in here is if you need to talk to me. It's obvious you don't, so leave my office, now!"

"Who's going to make me?" he taunted. "No one's going to help you. Sheriff Swan isn't even stupid enough to go up against me."

"Well, good thing I can take you on without help."

He glared at her, and then, hiding it from Gold, he made a fireball appear in his hand. "Are you sure?"

She smiled sweetly at him, and soon a ball of energy was hovering above her hand, also out of sight of Gold. Black looked shocked. He obviously hadn't known that she had her true memories, and had wanted her to freak out.

"Positive," she said triumphantly. He scowled at her, before stomping out of her office.

She turned to look at Gold, who was staring at her in awe.

"What are you gawking at!" He shrank back some, but the awe was still evident on his face.

"You stood up to him. And won." Regina sighed, hoping that she could break the curse soon, because this Gold was terribly annoying.

"Well, stop staring and come on. We're going to lunch."

"Wait, I'm coming with you?" Gold asked, obviously shocked.

"Yes, I don't want to worry about you being assaulted by Black while I'm gone." He nodded, accepting that answer, before following her to her car.

…

It was only once they were at her house, eating lunch across from each other in complete silence, that Regina noticed Gold was wearing the same tee shirt as the day before.

"Why are you wearing the same shirt as you were yesterday?"

He looked up from his plate, shocked by the sudden question. "Well, Madam Mayor, I …"

He was interrupted when the door opened and Henry ran in. He froze when he saw his mother.

"Henry, what happened?" she asked, worried since he was here in the middle of the day and looked so distraught.

"They kicked me out of the school. They said that letting me go to school was considered being nice to you. Mom, what's going on?"

Regina cursed under her breath. Of course Black would go after Henry when he realized he couldn't get to Gold. "Look, Henry, Mr. Black is angry with me right now, and …"

"Wait, did you actually stand up to him?" Henry was shocked, and pleased. He had thought his mom was selfish and only cared about herself, but apparently, he'd been wrong. Of course, she had been pretty nice last night, but he had thought it foolish to hope it was more than a one-time thing.

"Yes, Mr. Gold is now my employee instead of his."

"Mom, you shouldn't think so small!" he said, surprising her. "You should protect everyone from him, and get the town out from under his grasp!" Henry suggested, excited that his mom had started a resistance against the tyrant of the town. Maybe, he could even suggest …

Regina was startled, and happy, that Henry approved of her opposition of Black. However, reality was setting in. "And how would I do that?" Henry thought about it, and his face fell slightly.

"I don't know, we'll have to think about it," he consented. He pulled out the lunch he had packed that morning, and sat down at the head of the table, in between his mother and their guest. He realized that they should focus on that problem first, and he could ask his favor later. "So, is Mr. Gold staying with us?"

Before Gold could deny it, Regina spoke up. "That would probably be wise. We don't want him to get hurt." Henry nodded, ecstatic that his mother seemed to be turning a new leaf. "We'll need to move your things here. Where do you live?"

"At the pawnshop," he whispered, just barely loud enough for Regina to hear.

"So that's why you're wearing the same shirt. You didn't want to risk running into Black." He nodded, embarrassed that he'd been too scared to tell her about the situation before now. "Wait, where did you sleep last night?" If he had been too scared to go get a change of clothes from the pawnshop, there was no way he slept there.

"The office," he admitted quietly. "I locked the door to make sure he couldn't get in, and then I slept in my chair. It was comfortable."

Regina couldn't help but stare at him. His cursed memories must be truly terrible, if he thought sleeping in his slightly padded office chair was comfortable. "Well, if you tell me where your stuff is, I'll go pick it up for you."

Gold told her that his stuff was in the back room behind the curtain, but not all of it was his. "Just the suitcase next to the cot is mine." Regina rose, preparing to go face Mr. Black again. "Oh, and there's a chipped cup on the small table next to it. That's mine too."

"Don't worry, I won't forget the cup," she informed him, relieved. Of course Gold would know where the cup was. She should have asked him in the first place.

"Can I come?" Henry asked.

"No, but you can protect Gold," she told him. There was no way she was letting her son meet a dark magician who had unknown amounts of power.

"Fine," Henry consented, pouting a little. He had always wanted to be a hero, and now that his mother was fighting the most powerful man in town, he had thought that would be a possibility. Apparently, he'd been wrong.

…

Regina watched the shop until Black left, flipping the sign to closed. She walked over to the back door and used her magic to unlock it. She knew she only had a little time before Black would get an alarm and realize his shop had been broken into, so she rushed over to the cot and grabbed the suitcase. She put the cup in it, and then heard footsteps in the ally.

Fearing that Black was already there, Regina went to the front of the shop. As she walked toward the front door to make her escape, she spotted the sword. _Sidney must not have had a chance to buy it yet,_ she thought as she grabbed it and dashed out the door.

Once she was far away from the pawnshop, she thought about the sword. Now that she had it, she realized that she had no way to wake Charming up. She'd worked it into the curse that only Snow telling him their story would wake him up, because she'd thought that was an unlikely thing to happen. Unfortunately, it now seemed impossible, since Mary Margaret would avoid her like the plague, due to Black. There was a potion that would wake him up as well, but she had no access to potion ingredients, and had made the only one in town who did extremely angry with her.

She decided to deal with that later, and focus on something she knew she could do; get Belle's memories back. She started to enchant the cup and walk toward the hospital, figuring that once she gave Gold his belongings, she wasn't going to get her hands on the cup again. She wanted to wake Belle up before she gave Gold the cup back.

She finished the spell right as she reached the hospital. She hid the sword and suitcase in the woods nearby before entering the basement through a secret tunnel she was very glad she'd built into the curse.

When she exited the tunnel, there was no one in the hallway. She walked over to Belle's door, and opened it using magic. Belle's head shot up, and she looked distraught. She wasn't used to anyone entering her room except for the orderlies. She definitely wasn't prepared for Regina, the woman who looked in and laughed at her, to enter her room.

Regina, however, didn't notice her fear. She walked over to Belle, who sat, frozen. "Hold this and look at it closely," Regina ordered. Belle complied, out of terror of being punished, mostly. However, there was a part of her that was truly curious.

_Why would this lady want me to look closely at a cup?_ It was this curiosity that allowed her to actually examine the cup instead of just pretending to while her heart hammered in her chest. It did look a little familiar, but why was it chipped? She examined it closer, wanting to know what had caused damage to such a beautiful cup. Maybe someone had dropped it, or …

Her memories came flooding back in a random order. It started with her dropping the cup, and moved outward like a ripple effect, so she remembered things before and after that event at pretty much the same time.

Her look of shock as she processed the information turned to anger the second she realized what all had happened. "What did you do?" she yelled at Regina.

"Hmm, let's see, I just gave you your memories back, and I'm here to rescue you!"

"So, you didn't cast the new curse?" Belle asked thoughtfully. It had seemed like Regina had simply cast the curse again from her point of view, but now that she thought about it, it wouldn't make sense for Regina to give her memories back if she had cast it.

"No, but I have a pretty good idea who did," Regina told Belle, thinking about Black. "Which reminds me, we should get out of here before anyone finds us."

Belle followed her out, mind working on figuring out what was going on. "Wait, Regina, how do you have your memories?"[a1]

"No idea. That's one of the mysteries I'm trying to figure out."

"So, you said you have a suspect for who cast the curse," Belle reminded Regina after several minutes of silent walking.

"I'll tell you when we get back to my house. Now, be quiet, before someone hears you and knows where we are." Belle complied, but was still curious.

Once they were out of the tunnel, Regina found the items she'd hidden. She handed Belle the suitcase, and kept ahold of the sword. That's when she noticed the third item. There was a small potion bottle, which she'd almost overlooked because the foliage hid it well. She picked it up, and looked at the label on it. It said, "Coma Antidote."[a2]

* * *

[a1]Mystery: How does Regina have her memories?

[a2]Mystery: How did the bottle get there?


	3. Rumple

**Author's Note: All references to sleep in this chapter are innocent. Don't take them the wrong way.**

* * *

Regina looked down at the bottle, wondering how it had gotten there. The only explanation was that someone had left it there while she was inside the hospital with Belle. But, who would have left it there, why would they leave it, and how did they know Regina needed to wake Charming?

"Regina, what is it?" Belle asked, moving closer so she could see the potion.

"This bottle appeared here out of nowhere," Regina informed her, handing Belle the potion bottle.

"Coma Antidote," Belle read the label. "So, why is that important?"

Regina sighed. "I needed to find a way to wake Charming up, and a few hours after I realized this, a potion to do just that pops up in the middle of the forest."

"Wait, how did David get in a coma?" Belle asked, confused. Of course, she had been in the insane asylum throughout the entire first curse, so she had no idea that part of the curse had been that Prince Charming was stuck in a coma. That's when Regina realized just how much she had to explain to the bookworm.

"I'll tell you more when we get to my house."

"Fine," Belle said, slightly annoyed that all her attempts to get information were failing. Hopefully, Regina would keep her word and tell her everything once they were in the safety of the Mayor's house.

They walked in silence, because Regina was on high alert, keeping an eye out for Mr. Black, and Belle was storing questions in her head that she needed to ask the mayor. Like, what's in the suitcase? Why do you have Charming's sword, and why is he in a coma? What in the world is going on?

They walked into view of the house, and Regina saw Mr. Black turning the doorknob of her door.

"Hey!" she yelled, and the menace turned around to face her, sneering. "Get off my property!" she yelled, cursing herself in her head for not putting a protection spell around her house before leaving.

He didn't move at first, and the two wizards stood, facing each other. Regina hoped it didn't bloom into a full-on fight. She had no idea what his skill level was, and she didn't know if she could risk a battle with him. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he stared at her, obviously thinking along the same lines.

"Alright, Madam Mayor," he said with a sneer, finally backing down. "Enjoy your isolation from the town you are supposed to be leading." With that, Black turned on his heels and strode off.

Once he was far enough, away, Regina sighed with relief. If she and Belle had come a second later, Henry and Gold would have been toast, simply because she had forgot to cast a protection spell. Her carelessness almost cost her dearly, and she promised herself she'd be more careful.

"Is that your suspect?" Belle questioned, and Regina turned around. She'd almost forgotten Rumple's girl was still there. "Do you think he cast the curse?"

"Yes. He has his memories, and I've never seen him before. He's also a wizard. It make's perfect sense that he cast the curse." Belle nodded, as her brain started to run through all the possibilities as to why he would want to cast the curse.

"Now, be quiet for a minute, I need to concentrate," Regina ordered. She lifted up her hands, and focused on the house, encasing it with protection spells. After she was done, she dropped her hands to her sides. She was breathing heavily. Regina felt like she had just run for miles; of course she had expected this. All magic had a cost, and the cost of protection spells was feeling exhausted afterward.

"Come on, let's go inside," Regina invited, and the two women walked in. They found Henry and Gold at the dining table, playing a game of dominos. Gold was just laying down his last one, and Henry threw up his hand in defeat.

"Can't I win just one round?" he questioned rhetorically, and Gold smiled softly. He was glad to have discovered something he was good at.

"Rumple?" Belle asked, surprised to find him here, wearing jeans and a tee shirt. Henry and Gold both looked up, startled.

"Hi, Mom," Henry greeted, before looking at the woman who was accompanying her. "Hi, I'm Henry." He was struggling to stay polite, but he couldn't help but ask, "I'm sorry, but what's a rumple?"

Regina burst out laughing, and Belle looked completely thunderstruck. Henry and Gold both looked confused. Both of them had thought that "What's a rumple?" was a completely legitimate question, and wondered why Regina was reacting that way.

"Um, well," Belle said, completely floundering, unable to think of an answer. Regina was no help; she was still laughing her head off. It was obvious that Rumple didn't have his memories, so she obviously couldn't claim that it was her name for him. "That's my nick-name for your mother." Regina's laughter stopped instantly, and she glared at Belle so intensely that if looks could kill, Belle and the wall behind her would be on their way to heaven. However, a split second later, she was smiling again.

"That's right. My nick-name is Rumple, and Belle's nick-name is the Dark One." Now it was Belle's turn to glare, and Henry started to giggle.

"I think your name is funnier, Mom," Henry informed her. "Rumple," he said, before giggles overcame his ability to speak. Then, Gold started laughing softly, also amused by the nick-name, which both girls found ironic, seeing as it was his.

"Alright, Henry," his mother said, and he quit laughing. "I'm going to go talk with Belle for a little. Why don't you keep playing with Mr. Gold?"

"Sure, Mom," he said. He could tell when she just wanted to get him out of the way, and even though this was one of those times, at least she was being nicer about it now than she would have been just a few days ago.

Regina led Belle into her study, which was right off the entry way, and closed the door. Then, she turned on the bookworm. "Rumple?! You want to call me Rumple!"

"Well, maybe if you had warned me that he was here but didn't have his memories, I would have known not to call him Rumple! I said the only thing I could think of in such a short time, alright? Besides, you're calling me the Dark One, so I think we're even."

"Fine, I guess I should fill you in, before you mess anything else up." While Regina impatiently caught Belle up to speed on what she knew about the curse and her plan to awaken David, Henry was getting tired of losing at dominos. Then, he noticed it was already 5.

"Hey, Mr. Gold, do you want to surprise my mom and Belle by making dinner?" he asked after losing for the 12th time that day.

"Sure," Gold consented, and they both headed to the kitchen. After taking stock of all the ingredients they had in the fridge, pantry, and freezer, Henry came to two conclusions.

"The only thing I know how to make with all this is the frozen pizza." Gold nodded, and walked over to get the two boxes of Red Barron pizza. "And next time Mom decides to rebel against Black, she should make sure she stocks up on food first."

Gold just nodded, but in truth, he felt extremely guilty. It was all his fault that they didn't have that much food. These people were cut off from everything because of him.

Henry, oblivious to Gold's mood, started pre-heating the oven, while humming to himself. Then, all of a sudden, the oven turned off. So did the fridge, freezer, and everything else in the house.

In the study, where Regina had just finished catching Belle up, the light went off. Regina muttered, "Black," before closing her eyes and reaching out her hands. If he wanted to cut them off from electricity, he would be sorely disappointed. She concentrated, using magic to create the flow of energy that her powerful enemy had cut off. Soon, everything in the house turned back on, and Regina smiled triumphantly.

"Take that, Black!" she said proudly.

"Mom, what happened?" Henry yelled from the kitchen. Belle and Regina left the study to join Henry and Gold in the kitchen.

"The power just went out for a minute or two, but now it's back on," Regina informed her son.

"Okay, but why did the oven preheat in a total of half a second?" he asked. Regina tried really hard not to look flustered. Apparently, her electricity was more efficient and quick than the energy from the power plant. Maybe she should have done this sooner.

"I don't know, Henry," Belle told him. "That is strange. Maybe we should call the electric company later and ask."

"No, wait, we can't do that!" Henry objected. "We don't want them to remember that they aren't supposed to be giving us power."

"Well then, I guess we'll never know," Regina said. She was relieved Belle had given her a way out of explaining the situation, although she'd never admit that. They put the pizzas in the oven, with Belle silently communicating to Regina that she needed to be more careful with her magic, and Regina thinking that it was much easier said than done. After all, how did she know that her magic was much more efficient than electrical energy? If she had known that, she would have switched over long ago.

…

Soon, they were eating dinner. "Mom, we really need more food," Henry informed Regina as they ate. "We don't really have that much left."

"Alright, I'll figure something out," Regina said impatiently. She knew that was the most pressing matter on her agenda, but it was also the hardest. She could sneak into the grocery store and steal the food, but after she did, Black would put spells up to keep her and her group out. It was a temporary fix, and Regina didn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary.

"You know, I could drive over to the next town and buy groceries there," Belle suggested. Regina started to object, but then she realized that if she enchanted the cup, Belle could use it to keep her memories. She could easily leave, and come back with the supplies they needed.

"That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?" Henry exclaimed.

"It's settled then. I'll go tomorrow," Belle assured everyone. They went back to eating, and when Gold took a sip of water, Regina realized the plan might not work as well as she had first thought. He was using the chipped cup, which Belle would need to cross the town line. In fact, Gold had been the one to get everyone water, and everyone else had a bigger cup. He loved the tea cup so much he was willing to refill it several times if it meant he could use it. They might have a significant amount of trouble convincing him to part with it.

"So, Mom, what's the plan?" Henry asked once they started to clear the dishes.

"Remember, Belle's going to go get the food."

"No mom, not _that_ plan. The _entire_ plan. Your plan for standing up to Mr. Black," Henry clarified.

"I haven't thought it all the way through," Regina admitted. "But I can tell you what I have so far."

"Alright!" Henry agreed readily.

"Let's finish doing the dishes, and then we'll go into the study. I'll outline my plan then."

"Okay," Henry agreed, and everyone went back to washing plates and cups. Henry was now scrubbing much more vigorously, as opposed to his half-hearted washing from before. The sooner the dishes were done, the sooner he would know the plan. After a few minutes that seemed more like a few hours to the excited boy, the dishes were done.

Henry, Belle, and Regina headed toward the study. Belle turned around, to make sure Gold was following, and saw him standing in the kitchen. "Aren't you coming?" she asked him. He looked rather shocked.

"You want me to come?"

"Of course. You're a member of Operation Cobra, too," Henry informed him.

"Operation Cobra," Regina tried the name out. She was rather pleased that this time she was in on the operation instead of being the person Operation Cobra was trying to defeat.

"Yeah, I thought our mission needed a code name. Is that okay?" Henry asked.

"Of course that's okay. I love the name you picked for it." Henry beamed, glad his mother approved of something he had come up with.

"Now, come on Gold. Let's get going. I don't want to stand here half the night," Regina said before walking into her study. Belle glared at Regina, hating how harshly she was talking to Rumple, but Gold smiled faintly. He was just happy to be a part of something bigger than himself.

"Alright," Regina said when they were all in the room. "The next step is for me to rescue David Nolan. He also attempted to stand up to Black, and ended up in a coma because of it. A doctor I hired was able to discover how to wake him up." Regina hoped Henry couldn't tell she was lying about that part. "So, my mission is to sneak in there, wake him up, and get him out."

"That's awesome. What else?" Henry asked eagerly.

"That's pretty much it," Regina admitted.

"Okay, then how are we going to help you break in?"

"You're not. It's too dangerous. I'm not involving you, Belle, or Gold in this mission."

"Well then, what are we going to do? You can't make us just stay in the house. We're a part of Operation Cobra too. We want to help."

Regina sighed. She knew her son loved helping and being the hero, but she didn't want to put Henry in any more danger than he was already in. "Why don't you and Gold help Belle get the groceries and other supplies we will need? You guys might remember something Belle forgot." Neither of them would need an item to help them keep their memories, since they only had fake ones, so leaving shouldn't be a problem.

Henry groaned. It was a far cry from sneaking into a hospital and rescuing a coma patient out from under Black's nose, but at least it was something. "Alright, sure Mom. But eventually, you're going to have to let me take on a larger role in the missions."

"Of course, after you've had training," Regina consented. She would need all the help she could get, and she had to admit, Henry would be a great help.

"You're going to train me? In what?" Henry asked. This was so cool! Instead of school, he was going to learn how to be a spy, or maybe …

"I'm not going to train you. David Nolan is. He'll teach you how to use a sword and bow and arrows. He'll also teach you how to hunt and sneak around. He's pretty good at that, and should be a great teacher."

"I'm going to be like a knight! This is so cool!" Henry exclaimed. He practically jumped into the air with joy.

"Gold, what do you want to do?" Regina asked him. Honestly, she had no idea what to do with him. Henry and David would hunt for them and supply food for when they couldn't leave the town to go get it. She and Belle would work on uncovering the mystery. But Gold? He physically wouldn't be able to keep up with the other men, and since he didn't have his memories, he would be unable to help the ladies work on their plans.

Gold was honored that she was asking him what he wanted to do, instead of ordering him to do something. That being said, he had no idea what he wanted to do. He had come to the same conclusions as Regina, but he still wanted to help.

"Maybe Mr. Nolan could teach me as well, and I could defend the house?" he suggested. That didn't seem too hard, but it was also important.

Regina nodded, thinking. It would be a good idea to always have someone at her house, just in case someone returned home alone and injured. Plus, she wanted to keep Gold away from Black, and the easiest way to do that was by keeping him in the house. Also, if Black did manage to break through her spells, it would be good for Gold to know how to defend himself. "Perfect. That's a great idea," Regina agreed.

"Awesome, we're going to learn together!" Henry was so excited. He was a one of the members of a resistance, he didn't have to go to school, he was going to learn how to be a knight, and he was making a real friend in Mr. Gold. Things couldn't get any better.

"You know, I could give Henry some reading and math lessons, so he can keep up with his school work," Belle suggested. Apparently, they could get worse.

"Good idea, teach Gold as well."

"Wait, he doesn't know how to read?" Belle was shocked.

"No, but I'm sure he'd love to learn. Alright everyone, meeting adjourned. We all need to get to bed, especially me. So, let's go." Regina couldn't wait to go to sleep. Planning a resistance when you were way outnumbered was exhausting. How did Charming and Snow do it? She would be glad once Charming was on her side, because then he could take over most of the planning, and she could just do what was required of her, without having to worry about everyone else.

"Uh, Mom, where are Belle and Gold going to sleep?" Of course. She'd almost forgotten that Belle and Rumple didn't have rooms or anything yet.

"Gold, you can sleep in the guest room." It was the only bedroom on the first floor, and she doubted he would want to climb the stairs just to go to sleep. Now, she had to figure out where Belle would sleep, since she only had the three bedrooms. Maybe she could sleep on the couch? Would Belle be alright with …

"Ok, I'll show him where it is," Henry interrupted her thoughts, and started to walk out with Gold in tow. He was trying to figure out why Gold couldn't sleep with him. He would have enjoyed sharing his room with the guest. "Oh, yeah, because you and Belle are old friends. That's why you gave Gold the spare room, because you are sharing your room with her." Before either woman could respond, Henry and Gold were gone.

Regina and Belle looked at each other, in something akin to horror. "There is no way I'm sleeping with you!" Belle objected. She had put up with a lot, and had tried her best to forgive the former queen, but there was no way she was sleeping anywhere near the woman who had locked her up for almost three decades.

"Well, good, because there is no way I'm sleeping with you." But then Regina thought it through. Henry would be confused if he found Belle sleeping on the couch downstairs, since they had said they were good friends. Surely there must me another solution. "I do have a cot. We could set it up in my room, since Henry thinks that's what's going to happen. You can sleep on that."

"Sounds perfect to me," Belle agreed, relieved. As they went to get the cot from the basement, Regina remembered that she had yet to inform Belle of the problem.

"Belle, you have to figure out a way to get the cup from Gold, so I can enchant it and you won't lose your memories the second you cross the town line."

"Don't worry, I've got this." To Regina's surprise, Belle walked off right then, leaving her alone to set get the cot.

Grumbling, Regina, grabbed the bag the folded up cot was in, and dragged it up two flights of stairs. Belle could have helped set up the cot, at least, before running off to attempt the impossible.

…

Belle walked into Gold's room right as Henry was leaving. "Hi, Belle," the youngster greeted her as he passed, and made his way up to his room. Belle smiled at him, and then continued into the room. Gold's suitcase was laying, still closed, on the floor. He was sitting on the bed, holding the chipped cup and staring into it, tears forming in his eyes.

She wanted to ask him what was wrong, and let him explain however much he wanted to while he cried on her shoulder. But, she knew she couldn't. He wouldn't respond to that, not from a stranger, which was what Belle was right now. She was the only one he answered truthfully to when she asked him what was wrong, and that was only because of their close relationship. He preferred to keep his emotions hidden from the world, and she knew she would get nowhere by forcing him to talk with her.

Instead, she said, "That's a beautiful cup." He jumped, startled, and hastily tried to wipe the tears out of her eyes before she noticed, not realizing she already had.

"Miss Belle! I didn't see you come in," he said, looking anywhere but at her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. And you can just call me Belle." Her voice was gentle and reassuring, even though she felt like crying. Not only was he in an emotional state, but he had referred to her in such a formal way. She longed to have her Rumple back, who called her by her name just like everyone else, but somehow he was able to make it sound like the most unique and precious thing in the world.

"Alright, Belle," he said, putting a huge effort into leaving out the miss in front. She smiled and sat down on the bed next to him. He tensed, but said nothing.

"So, where did you get it?" she asked, and Gold felt his heart plummet. He didn't want to talk about his cup.

"Black let me have it," he admitted, surprised he had been able to keep from crying.

"What do you mean, he let you have it?" Belle inquired in the sweetest way possible.

Gold broke down crying. "He was going to throw it away, but I couldn't let him," he sobbed. Belle wrapped her arm around his shoulder, and he tensed for a second, but then he was leaning on her shoulder. "My son chipped it. He was only five," Gold said, hiccupping from crying so hard. Belle just hugged him closer. "Black was angry with him. He yelled at him, and then …" he stopped, unable to continue, even thought he could vividly see the owner of the town plunging a knife into Baden's back. "He was going to throw the cup away. I couldn't let him, I asked if I could have it, and he said yes." Belle felt her heart breaking. Rumple had felt powerful emotions just from losing his son, but being forced to watch him die as a child must have been so much worse. "It's painful to look at, to think about Bae, but I couldn't let it go." Then, he was crying too much to say any more, and Belle pulled him even closer. She started to hum a song her mother sang to calm her down when she was younger. It worked, and soon his loud sobs turned into quiet snuffles.

"Sshhh, it's okay," Belle soothed gently. He looked up at her, and asked something that had often troubled him.

"Do you think Bae would think it was creepy that I wanted to keep the cup?" he asked. He wanted to hear the answer, but he feared it as well. He didn't want Bae to think he was a creep.

"No, of course not. I bet he'd be honored," Belle said. She felt terrible for him, and wanted to tell him the truth. That Bae hadn't died when he was five, that Gold had met him as an adult, and although they had often disagreed, they loved each other and ended on a happy note. But, of course, that wasn't possible.

"Really, you think so?" he asked, hope shining in his eyes behind his tears.

"I truly do," Belle informed him. He relaxed, no longer having that as a burden. However, it still pained him to look at the cup. It reminded him of how his son had been cut down at a young age, and how he had failed as a father. He wanted it to be safe, but not with him, and now he had an idea of how to do that.

"Miss, or, I mean, Belle?" he asked, and she nodded, letting him continue. "Would you keep the cup safe for me?"

A flood of emotions ran though her, the strongest being touched that he already trusted her so much. Underneath that was sadness that his son's death pained him so much that he wanted to forget as much of it as possible. And the third was relief, that she wouldn't have to forcefully of sneakily take something so important away from him. "Of course I will," she said, gingerly taking the cup from his outstretched hand.

After crying, Gold was emotionally exhausted, and ready for bed. "Thank you. Do you mind if I go to bed now?"

"Of course not," Belle said quickly, getting off the bed. "Goodnight, Gold."

Belle walked out too quickly to hear him say, "Goodnight, Belle, and thank you. For everything."

…

Regina grumbled something about not helping with the cot as soon as Belle walked into the room. "You could have helped with the cot before you ran off. And, what took you so long? I had enough time to enchant Charming's sword to give him his memories back and test the potion, which, by the way, it is a coma antidote."

"I got the cup, so stop complaining," Belle snapped. She didn't feel like dealing with Regina right now.

"Whatever, let's just go to bed." Regina was happy that Belle had the cup, and surprised that it hadn't taken her more time, but she would never admit it. She was exhausted and ready for bed; all of the spells she had cast had taken their toll.

Soon, they were laying down, and Regina was sleeping deeply. Belle, however, couldn't sleep that easily. She tossed and turned, and when sleep finally did take her, she dreamed of Gold being forced to watch Bae die, and when she tried to comfort him, he couldn't hear her.


	4. Best Laid Plans

**Author's Note: Sorry, I know this took a little longer than a week, but my other story and life kept me busy. Speaking of life, I am about to start college. I might not be able to update as often, but I will still update. I won't forget about this story, I promise.**

* * *

When Belle, woke up, Regina was already out of the bedroom. She got up, and realized that she was still wearing the clothes she wore in the insane asylum. She needed more clothes, and decided to get them while she was getting groceries in the nearby town. _The nearby town._ In the land without magic, Belle had never left Storybrooke. This would be her first venture across the town line, and that was rather exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Trying not to think about how last time she had attempted to leave, she had been shot, Belle made her way downstairs, where Regina and Gold were making breakfast. Apparently, both of the sorcerers were early risers. Of course, Belle had known that Rumple liked to get up early, but she had never known Regina did as well. Maybe it was a sorcerer thing.

"Good, Belle, you're up," Regina said as soon as she spotted the bookworm. "Gold, keep cooking the eggs, I'll be back in a little bit."

Then, Regina grabbed Belle's arm and dragged her into the study. Belle pulled away as soon as the door was closed. "What was that about?" she asked the witch.

"Nothing, I just needed to talk to you about magic, and since, at the moment, Gold knows nothing about that …"

"No," Belle interrupted. "Why did you grab my arm and yank me in here? You could have just said, 'Belle, let's go to the study,' and I would have followed you."

"Well, I was in a bit of a rush to get out of there," Regina admitted. Belle glared at her, waiting for a further explanation. "Can you blame me? He's creepy. Gold does everything I tell him to without even a sarcastic comment! He's so timid. It's too weird for me to deal with all the time."

Belle hated that Regina was insulting her true love, but she had to admit the sorceress had a point. She also missed Rumple's sarcasm and cleverness. She wanted him back, too, even if this new Rumple didn't creep her out.

"Anyway, I made a list of the things you'll need to buy. Look over them while I enchant the cup, and then you can add things to it if you deem that necessary."

Belle nodded, and looked the list over. The grocery items wouldn't be that hard to find, but that wasn't the only section. The bookworm smiled when she got to the clothing list, and suits for Gold were on the top of the list, bolded, and underlined three times, plus a star on either side for good measure. Belle did miss seeing him in his suit and tie. It made him look so handsome. Belle wrote in that she needed new clothes as well, before moving on. The last category was potion ingredients. Belle scanned the list, recognizing that all of the ingredients were from the Enchanted Forest and none of them existed in the Land without Magic.

Just then, Regina finished, and handed the tea cup back to Belle. "There, that should protect your memories. I also enchanted it to protect you from Black's magic. As long as Henry and Gold stay within your sight range, they should be protected from him as well."

"Great, thank you. I do have some questions about the list, though. The potion ingredients …"

Regina cut her off. "I added those on just in case. If you see them, get them. If not, don't worry about it." Belle nodded. She was pretty sure she wouldn't encounter any of the ingredients, but if she did, she would make sure to grab them.

"Alright, I believe that's it," Regina said, and they left the study. Gold was done with the scrambled eggs by the time they came out, and a groggy Henry was slowly walking down the stairs.

All of a sudden, the boy perked up. "Do I smell eggs?" he asked, and then he caught sight of them, proof his nose was correct. "Mom, we still have eggs?"

"Yes, those are the last four," Regina informed him as she walked over to bring the toast to the table. Gold carried the eggs in, and Belle and Henry got the glasses of water. Belle filled up the tea cup for herself, and she noticed Gold was tearing up as she took a sip out of it. She hoped he didn't mind her using it; it helped her deal with Gold's change in character.

"Alright," Regina said once they were all eating. "Gold and Henry, you'll go with Belle and help her shop. I'll go rescue Charming, and we'll meet back here at the end of the day."

"Charming?" Henry asked. "You must have a crush on him, if you think he's Charming. How come you haven't told me about David Nolan before now, Mom?"

Regina turned beet red, from a mixture of anger and embarrassment that she had made such a mistake, and Henry had taken it the wrong way. "Actually, that's his nickname. You know how you're mother's is Rumple? His is Charming," Belle jumped to the rescue.

Henry started to giggle at the mention of his mother's nick-name, but then he nodded. "Okay, I think I get it now. Are there any other friends of yours that have nicknames I should know about?"

"Not that I can think of," Regina said, but what she really meant was, _Not who remembers their nickname._

"Alright, let's get going boys," Belle said, seeing that both were done with their breakfast.

"Alright," Henry agreed reluctantly. Gold got up and started bringing dishes into the kitchen, and Belle followed, helping him. Henry got up, and walked around the table to his mom. "Be careful today, okay?" he asked, concern for her written all over his face.

"Don't worry, I will," she assured him, before enveloping him in a hug. Then, Belle and Gold came out of the kitchen, and it was time for Henry to go. "Drive safely," Regina told Belle, who simply smiled in reply. Soon, they were gone, and Regina was the only one left in the house.

She picked up Charming's sword and the potion vial that was miraculously what it said it was. She wondered who had sent it, why, and how they still had their memories, but that didn't matter right now. It was time to go save the Prince.

…

They were about a mile from the town line when the thought crossed Belle's mind. She remembered Rumple mentioning that before the curse was broken the first time, whenever people had tried to leave town, something had kept them from doing it. Sometimes, it had even been downright dangerous, resulting in car crashes. Well, what if this curse worked in the same way? They could end up seriously injured, or, almost worse, the tea cup could break in the crash, making them an easy target for Black. Maybe she should turn around, but they really needed the food. But was it worth the risk?

"Uh, Belle, why are you slowing down?" Henry asked from the back seat. She looked up in the rearview mirror so she could see him while she talked. In truth, Belle had never gotten her driver's license, and wasn't that good at driving.

"Sorry, I was just thinking …"

"Eyes on the road!" Gold yelled, reaching over and grabbing the steering wheel. She had been drifting into the other lane, but he pulled her back. And then, before she could stop, they drove right past the 'Leaving Storybrooke' sign.

Belle relaxed muscles she didn't even realize were tense as soon as she knew that they weren't going to crash. "Sorry," she apologized as she kept going. She felt terrible for endangering their lives like that, even though it was an accident.

"That's alright," Gold whispered softly. Belle was surprised. She had half expected him to be back to his normal self after he had yelled, but apparently, it was going to take more than that.

"Yeah, I didn't even notice," Henry admitted. "Thanks for saving us, Mr. Gold."

"You're welcome," he muttered. Belle went back to driving, this time keeping her eyes on the road. She didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

…

Regina walked into the hospital through the front doors, with Charming's sword held in her right hand. One of the nurses tentatively approached her. "Madam Mayor, I'm sorry, but …"

"Leave me alone or I'll run you through!" she snapped. The young woman instantly backed away from her. Regina smiled maliciously, overjoyed to feel the familiar sensation of power course through her veins. It had been a long time since she'd threatened someone like that, for Henry's sake, and it felt so good to be doing it again.

Everyone else stumbled out of her way as she made a bee line for David's room. The first thing she did once she reached him was rip away all of the cords that helped the doctors monitor his heartbeat and other vitals. Then, she poured the potion into his mouth, and used her magic to help it go down all the way.

The Prince sputtered, and sat up, looking around the room with curiosity. "Where am I?" he asked, and then, he became even more troubled. "Who am I?"

Regina, ignoring his questions, thrust the sword into his hand. "Look at this, closely," she ordered, before turning her attention to the other side of the glass. So far, no one had entered the room, but she didn't know how long that would last, especially since she saw one of the nurses on the phone. There was no doubt in her mind that Black was already on his way, and she would have to fight him.

David stared at the sword, completely curious. Was he a knight? Was he even in a time period where knights existed? How did he even know what knights were? The questions floated around in his head, but the more he stared at the sword, the more confused he got. "Am I a knight?" he finally asked the woman who had given him the sword.

Regina groaned, and wanted to slap her hand against her head. The sword hadn't worked. She had hoped desperately that it would, but apparently, there was something more important to him. That, or he hadn't looked at the sword closely enough. Either way, they had to leave, because Black, Emma, and Hook had just walked into the hospital.

"Come on, let's go," Regina said, grabbing his left hand and pulling him to his feet. "Use your sword to defend yourself if necessary." David nodded, but was unsure who he needed to defend himself from.

Regina and Charming walked out of the room, and Emma pointed a gun at both of them. Regina put on her best, 'I'm in complete control of this situation,' look, and David somehow managed to look confident, almost like he did have his memories. "Stand aside, or you'll regret it," Regina said, looking straight into Black's eyes and ignoring Emma and Killian.

She was hoping that Black was still uncertain of her skill, and thus unwilling to enter into a duel with her. She watched as the owner of the town studied her, trying to decide if her outward expression of power was due to true control of the situation, or if she was bluffing. Regina didn't waver, even though worry was secretly eating away at her. If this man was even slightly observant, he'd realize she was bluffing any second now. He'd know that she wasn't going to hurt Emma and Killian, if only for the simple reason that she was trying to be good for Henry, and he'd figure out that she didn't want to use magic in front of the town, since she hadn't so far.

"Fine, let them pass," Black ordered, giving Regina a pleasant surprise. This man was much more easily tricked than any of her former opponents. Maybe it would be relatively easy to take him down. "However, if you ever come to the hospital again, I will have no choice but to arrest you," he warned.

"Don't worry, I don't think that will be a problem," she shot back at him, leaving him to interpret that any way he wished before storming out of the hospital, with David close on her heels. As soon as they were out of Black's sight, she allowed herself a smile. Her opponent's gullibility was going to be his downfall.

…

They had gotten all the groceries, and Belle had been unable to find any of the potion ingredients Regina needed, so now they were in the clothing store. Belle had found everything she wanted in about fifteen minutes, and was now arguing with Mr. Gold. "Won't you at least try one on?" she pleaded, but he shook his head no.

Him, in a suit? That idea was so foreign to him, and he had an unrational fear of getting in trouble for it, like a child wearing his father's clothes would. And even if Regina didn't get him in trouble, Black certainly would if he ever got the chance to.

"What's wrong with the clothes I have?" he asked Belle.

"Nothing, I just thought you could try a new style," she said, and she felt about ready to give in to him. Which was a shame, because she'd been looking forward to seeing him in a suit again.

He noticed she was getting upset, and Mr. Gold didn't want to be the cause of her sadness. "I guess trying one on wouldn't hurt," he muttered, but somehow Belle heard his quiet voice and she lit up. If he'd known she was going to be that happy about it, he would have given in a long time ago.

"Alright, here, go into one of the dressing rooms, and try this on. Come out when you're done," Belle instructed, grinning from ear to ear. He was going to wear a suit again! Even though it was uncertain if he would like this 'new' style, she would see him in one for a few minutes and that thought was exciting in itself.

Henry just rolled his eyes. Why was getting Gold in a suit so important, anyway? He could see no benefit to the outfit in battle, so it just seemed like an expensive waste of Operation Cobra's money. "Are you sure Mom would approve of using her money to buy a suit?" he asked.

"It was her idea," Belle informed him, and while Henry tried to puzzle over why his mom would want to waste the money, Mr. Gold came out of the dressing room. Belle felt like running up and hugging him. "You look wonderful!" she informed him.

He blushed, smiling slightly at her enthusiasm. Gold decided not to tell her that he'd needed an assistant's help to get the tie on. "Do you like it?" Belle asked him, and he paused. He wasn't sure. It made him feel powerful, like he could stop Black, but at the same time, it made him afraid of becoming as cruel as his former boss. He didn't know if he could explain his feelings to Belle, because how could a new outfit make someone feel such complex emotions? She wouldn't understand, but she was still waiting for an answer.

However, Henry spoke before he had a chance to. "If you don't really like it you shouldn't get it. We need to be careful about spending too much money. Operation Cobra has a limited amount of funds, and even though all the grown-ups in the group think this is a good idea, I must remind everyone that we don't know how long we're going to be fighting Black, and we might need the money later on."

"Henry!" Belle said, shocked at his speech. "You didn't need to say all that, and make him feel guilty for buying something he wants!"

"Well, I did say if he didn't like it," Henry reminded her.

Belle was about to say something else when Gold interrupted. "It's okay, he's right. I don't think I'm going to get it." Then, he turned around and went back into the dressing room, changing into his tee shirt and jeans again. He felt a sense of relief as he put the old clothes on. He was no longer expected to be powerful, and he was no longer afraid that he would turn into his uncaring former boss. A lot less was expected of someone in casual clothes, and he found comfort in that.

As soon as Gold was in the dressing room, Belle turned on Henry. "Listen, Henry, I know you want to do what's best for Operation Cobra, but you didn't have to say everything you did. Your first sentence would have sufficed. After everything you said, there's no way he would buy that suit, even if he really wanted to. You could have made him feel guilty for even considering getting it. Do you understand?" she asked. Belle was disappointed that he wasn't getting the suit, and she did feel a little guilty for not considering the financial aspect of buying the suits, but more importantly, she was worried that Gold was feeling bad about this, and that was the last thing she wanted.

"Alright, I'll be more considerate next time," Henry promised, hoping he hadn't upset Gold. Then, their fellow resistance member walked out of the dressing room.

"Well, that's everything on the list," Belle informed them. "What do you guys say we go get some lunch, and then head home?" Both men agreed, and as they headed out, Henry slipped next to Gold.

"I'm sorry," he told him.

"That's alright," he said, not mentioning how grateful he was to the boy for stopping him from buying something that he would have regretted. He didn't think he could handle all that power, and was glad he didn't have to try. _How can a new outfit make me feel so different?_ he thought as they left, not realizing that the suit was reminding him of the hundreds of years he had evil power, and that was what was bringing up the conflicting emotions in him.

…

Regina sighed as David shook his head. Once they had reached the safety of her house, she'd made him stare at the sword again, hoping he just hadn't been studying it closely enough. Unfortunately, she'd been wrong. She'd watched him closely, and he'd been looking at it with all the interest necessary, but he still didn't have his memories back.

"Maybe some food would help me?" he asked, feeling his stomach rumbling.

"It won't," Regina said flatly, before realizing what he was implying. "But come on, lets go see if there's anything edible left in the kitchen."

He followed her, and helped search for food, but all the found was a box of stale Goldfish and a jar of pickles. David discovered that he liked pickles, and ate most of the jar. Regina, on the other hand, only had the green veggies because Henry enjoyed them. She hated pickles, and wasn't up to eating the Goldfish, so she just decided to wait for the rest of the group to get back.

"So, what was I like before I lost my memories?" David asked her as he finished the last pickle and Regina threw the empty jar and the box of Goldfish in the trash.

"Uh," she said, not sure what to tell him. There was no way he'd believe the truth, but she really didn't think that the David Nolan who was married to Katherine would be useful to her situation. Maybe she could combine the two, and get a good result. "Your name is David Nolan," she started. "You were one of the leaders of a resistance against Mr. Black, the man who owns most of the town and who confronted us at the hospital." David nodded, soaking in all of the information. "To do this, you learned how to use a sword. You knew that getting ammo for a gun would be more difficult than just using a more outdated weapon. Anyway, Black eventually caught you, and put you in a medically-induced coma, to make sure you couldn't resist him anymore." That had been more Charming than David Nolan, but the story worked well for Regina's purposes.

"Right," he said, mulling over all the new information. "So, if I was a resistance leader, who else was in my resistance, and where are they now?"

Regina inwardly groaned. He'd found the hole in her story. "I'm not sure. Some of them are probably in the insane asylum, and others might have gotten away. I don't know, I never joined your resistance." He nodded, buying her answer.

"But you've started a new one?" he asked, and she nodded. "Who's in that?"

"Well, obviously you and me. Then there's Belle; she was in your resistance, too, and was in the insane asylum for years. My son, who's twelve, and Mr. Gold, whom I rescued from Mr. Black's 'employment,' if you could call it that. Really, it was more like he was Black's slave than employee."

"Is that it?" he asked, looking confused when she stopped talking so soon.

"For now," she admitted.

"We'll need more men before we can attack him outright. Even the stealth missions will be extremely dangerous with so few men. We won't have any backup, and …" Obviously, even though David had forgotten his memories, he hadn't forgotten the strategis he'd picked up while trying to defeat her in the Enchanted Forest.

"Alright, slow down," she ordered, and he stopped talking. "The first thing on our agenda is getting your memories back. After that, we'll worry about convincing others to join us."

"Okay," David agreed, and then they heard the door swing open. They both tensed, and looked toward the entrance from where they were sitting at the dining room table. Regina relaxed immediately when she saw who it was.

"Belle, you're back already."

"Yes, we are," she agreed, and then Henry and Gold walked in. Unfortunately, Gold was still wearing an annoying tee shirt. She hoped it was just a temporary thing. "I see you rescued David," Belle said, relieved that they had another member of the resistance who knew the truth behind what was going on.

"Yes, and he lost his memory," Regina told them. Henry looked rather put out by that. "We'll work on getting it back. Belle, come help me think of what will jog his memory. Boys, bring the groceries inside."

Henry grumbled before walking back to the car, followed by Gold and David. Belle and Regina entered the study and closed the door. "Why is he not wearing suits?" was the first thing Regina said. Was it really so difficult to get him into an outfit that wouldn't creep her out every time she looked at him?

"Sorry, but once Henry brought up how the money could be used for more useful things in Operation Cobra, there was no way I was going to convince Mr. Gold to get a suit."

Regina sighed, disappointed. "Oh well, we have more important matters to discuss. If anyone asks you, you were in the resistance against Black and David was the leader, got it?"

"Uh, sure," Belle said, wondering how that had come up. "Anyway, I got everything on the list except the potion ingredients. I didn't see anything on the list, so I don't think they have those things in this world."

"That's fine. We'll worry about that later. Right now, we need to find an item that will jog Charming's memory. Do you know of anything that he thought of as important?"

"No, but I bet I know where we can find the information," Belle said, wondering if Regina would pick up on what she was talking about.

"Of course! The story book! All we have to do is find it, and it will tell us the information we need."

"Alright, do you know where Henry got it?" Belle asked, hoping they weren't going to have to search the whole town.

"Snow gave it to him," Regina informed her, remembering how angry she'd been with her nemesis for doing that. Now, however, she found herself wishing that the schoolteacher had already given the book to her son. It was funny how her perspective had changed.

"So, that's the plan. Get the storybook from Snow," Belle reiterated. Regina nodded. "Now that we have a plan, let's go help the boys. They have a lot of stuff to carry in."

They left the study, and passed Charming carrying two cartons of milk into the kitchen. When they got outside to the car, Regina saw Sidney standing down the street a ways, trying to catch her attention as discretely as possible. "Be right back," she told Belle before heading toward her informant. Sidney started walking away from her, and turned down a path into the woods. Regina followed, knowing that he just didn't want anyone to see him talking to her.

Soon, he stopped and let her catch up to him. "I couldn't find the sword," he informed her, looking rather disappointed in himself.

"Oh, that's because I already stole it. It turns out that I needed to stop by the pawnshop anyway. Don't worry about that." Sidney looked relieved that he hadn't let her down. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, Black is planning on cutting your power. Also, he is spreading rumors about you in town. He says you want to murder everyone in their sleep."

"Alright, I'll handle the power problem," she said, not wanting to tell him that she already had. "And as for the rumors, start some new ones about him. For every rumor about me, make sure there's a worse story circulating the town about Black. That should ensure that no one will side with him, even if they won't side with me, either."

"So, you are planning a full scale resistance?" Sidney asked. He'd just thought Regina wanted to hold her own against Black. He didn't realize she wanted to overthrow him.

"Yes. It's about time we force that man out of our town. Is there anything else?"

"Not for now, but I'll keep my ears open. Is there anything else you need me to do?"

Regina contemplated having him steal the book from Mary Margaret, but she decided against it. She didn't want him to read the book; not knowing what repercussions it would have. She also didn't want him to end up in prison, because she needed at least one mole in the town. "That's all for now," Regina informed him.

She walked back to her house then, and was too late to help put away the groceries. All of the others were sitting at the dining room table, obviously waiting for her return. "Where did you go?" Henry inquired as soon as she walked through the door. It was obvious that he had been worried about her.

"Sidney Glass was giving me information on the town. He didn't want to be seen talking to me, so we had to meet at a secret location," she said.

Henry nodded, understanding his mom's reasoning. "Ok, but could you tell someone where you're going next time? It's dangerous to be out of the house alone, especially if we don't know where you'll be if you're in trouble."

"Alright Henry, I'll tell someone next time," Regina agreed, trying to hide the smile that was trying to creep onto her lips. Henry was so concerned about her that the tables had flipped, and he was acting like her parent.

"Ok, so, what's the plan?" Henry asked once he knew his mother would be more careful. He knew she had to have thought of something, and couldn't wait to hear what was going to happen.

"Your former teacher, Mrs. Blanchard, has a book that looks like just simple fairy tales but is actually coded," Regina told him, figuring that would be the best thing to tell him. "The resistance was the one who made it, and Belle might be able to decode it. It has many of their secrets hidden within the pages, and we might be able to find something in it that would jog David's memory. The next step is to get it."

"Cool! Alright, so who's going on this mission?" Regina hadn't thought about that, but now that she did, she realized she couldn't go. If Black caught her in Snow's house, Snow would be in much more trouble than if someone else was in her house. Besides, she needed to find items that every member of her resistance would keep with them on missions and enchant them to protect them from Black. She'd do that while someone went to get the book.

"I can't go, to keep Mary Margaret out of trouble, and David doesn't have his memories, so that leaves Belle," Regina decided. Gold was extremely grateful that she hadn't mentioned he couldn't go due to his leg.

"What about me?" Henry protested. "I could go! Besides, won't Belle need someone to watch her back?"

Regina almost said no. She really, really wanted to. She didn't want to put Henry in danger until he'd had more training. Like, several years of training. But, he was right about Belle needing someone to watch her back. David wouldn't know who was friend or foe, and Gold wouldn't be much help if they had to fight or run, due to his leg. "Fine, but only if you promise to do everything Belle tells you to."

"Yes, I will! Don't worry!" he assured her before giving her a giant hug. "You're the best mom in the world!" The young boy exclaimed happily. He was finally going to go on his first mission.

Regina couldn't help but feel the opposite. Her head ran through all of the worst case scenarios, where Henry ended up dead, or being tortured by Black. No, she wasn't the best mom. If anything, she was the worst.


	5. Hero

**Author's Note: Hey guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter. As for where baby Neal is, you'll just have to wait and see!**

* * *

Henry sighed as his mom fussed over him, making sure he was ready for his first mission. They'd decided to wait until the next day, when his teacher would be at school, to steal the book. She'd spent the whole afternoon giving him tips on how to sneak around and be a thief, and even after millions of suggestions and a night of sleep, she still thought it necessary to tell him even more things he would forget as soon as she started on the next thing that would help his spy skills.

"Mom, come on, it's time to go," he reminded. It's not like he was trying to sneak into a top secret government facility!

"Alright," she said, kissing him on the forehead and finally letting him walk toward the door with Belle. "Wait!" she said suddenly, and Henry wondered what she could possibly have forgotten as he turned around. "Here, I want you to wear this on every mission you go on," she told him, handing him a watch. However, it wasn't just a watch. There was a compass off to the side in case he got lost, and a timer he could use for timing guards on watch duty, although he doubted there'd be any on this mission.

"Thanks, Mom," he said as he put it on. Then, his mom couldn't hold herself back anymore.

"I love you," she whispered in his ear, and Henry felt a surge of emotion. It had been a long time since she'd said that to him, and he'd missed that.

"I love you too," he whispered back, trying not to choke on his unexpected emotions. His mother loved him. Of course, he'd always known that, but somehow, her actually saying the words made it seem more real. Then, so he didn't start crying right before his first mission, he let go and walked over to Belle, who was standing at the door. Soon they were out of the house and walking down the street, wearing hoodies that were pulled up so no one could tell who they really were.

Regina felt tears welling up in her eyes as she watched Henry go. He'd said he loved her. She was so happy and so worried for him all at the same time. At least she'd convinced him to wear the watch she'd enchanted. It would protect him from Black's magic, just like Belle's cup would protect her. However, that didn't stop her from worrying about him. There were many other ways her son could be hurt besides magic.

"So, what now?" David asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Now, we see if we can find another way to jog you memory. Maybe a few sword duels would help," she said, smiling wickedly to herself. Without his memories, she'd have the upper hand, and would defeat the Prince easily. It'd be the perfect way to take her mind off of Henry.

…

They reached the door to Miss Blanchard's apartment, and Belle picked the lock while Henry kept an eye out to make sure no one was watching them. Belle had learned to pick a lock when she was about Henry's age. She'd loved reading books, but sometimes that just wasn't enough to keep away the boredom that came from having a father who was too busy running the kingdom to spend time with her. Books had been her only friends, and sometimes she got tired of being around them all the time. So, she had decided to learn activities from books; one of which had been opening doors without needing the key. It didn't take her that long to spring the lock, and soon she and Henry slipped into the apartment.

"Here," Belle whispered, handing Henry a picture of the book that she'd sketched the night before. It was by no means perfect, but it would give Henry a good idea of what they were looking for.

"Once Upon a Time," Henry quietly read the title. He could see where the fairy tale theme came into play with the title alone. He hoped they weren't wasting their time with a kid's book and that it really did have useful information hidden inside its pages.

The two searched the whole house, and were about to give up hope of finding the story book, when Henry found it underneath a pile of clothes in his teacher's closet. "Got it!" he said excitedly, and he only remembered he was supposed to be silent when Belle shushed him. However, she smiled and gave him a thumbs up. He grinned back at her, even though he was turning red with embarrassment. He should have remembered to stay silent.

Once they were outside the door, Belle tried to use her skills to lock the apartment back up. If they were lucky, no one would ever even know they had been snooping. However, this proved more difficult than unlocking the door, mostly because Belle had never done this in reverse before.

Finally, right when Henry was certain they'd be there for an hour, Belle heard the lock snap back into its proper place. "Let's go," she whispered to Henry, and the two walked back the way they'd come. However, they were more distracted this time.

Henry, instead of being on alert like he had been on the way there, was too busy thinking about how proud his mother would be for his first success. Belle was also distracted, but she was thinking about whether or not the story book would help them discover a way to help Charming remember who he was. Neither of them noticed Sheriff Swan walking up behind them until she'd ripped the hoods off their heads.

They both turned around in shock, but Emma already had a gun pointed at them. "Freeze. You're both under arrest for associating with Regina," she said, hating herself for doing this. However, Black would be furious with her if she just let the duo go, and she didn't want to risk his wrath for this.

Henry looked at her closely, and saw the reluctance on her face. He doubted she would actually hurt them if it came down to that. "Yeah, sure, we're under arrest," he assented, trying to sound hopeless. The sheriff bought it, and sighed with relief. At least they weren't trying to resist arrest. "If you can catch us!" The boy added, as if it was all just a game they were playing a recess, before grabbing Belle's hand and running as fast as he could away from the sheriff.

Emma groaned, realizing she'd thought too soon, before dashing after them. There was no way she was going to shoot an unarmed kid and lady, but she might be able to catch up with them.

…

Regina sighed as Charming held the wooden sword at her neck for the tenth time. Apparently, muscle memory was kicking in, even though he didn't even remember anything.

"Alright, this obviously isn't helping recover your memory in the slightest, so let's stop," she suggested, tired of losing to him.

"Just one more time?" the Prince pleaded. "It might still jog my memory. Maybe we just have to keep trying." He was really enjoying the physical exercise and his skill had pleasantly surprised him. It was good to do something he understood and was good at, even if he didn't understand why he was good at it.

"No, that's enough for now. You can duel more later," Regina said, leaning her practice sword against the wall of her house before going inside to get some water. Fighting Charming was always thirsty work.

"You did great," Gold complimented him as Charming lay his sword by Regina. Gold was impressed by his skill, and he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. He wished he could be a useful asset to the team, but he couldn't with his leg. Even the man who had no memories was more useful than him.

"Thanks," David said cheerfully, not noticing Gold's bad mood. "I could teach you if you like," he suggested. It'd be fun to help someone else grow in swordplay.

Gold was taken aback by the offer. He knew Regina wanted David to teach him and Henry swordplay, but he felt touched that David would offer it on his own. "Sure." He really hoped that with a little knowledge of dueling, he would be a much stronger asset to Operation Cobra.

The two men followed Regina inside and got water for themselves. Regina watched them closely, and realized what she needed to enchant for them. Charming wouldn't go on a mission without his sword, and Gold never went anywhere without his cane, so she'd enchant those. She considered enchanting an object for herself, but decided against it. It prohibited anyone from using dark magic while near it, including her, and she'd need all of her magic to fight Black when it came down to that. She'd make do without one.

Now that she knew what she needed to enchant, she just had to figure out when and how, and try her best to not think about how much danger Henry was in, and wonder if her son was okay … _Get a grip!_ she ordered herself. Alright, she could enchant Gold's staff while he was sleeping and probably Charming's sword too. Luckily, they were sharing a room and David was a snorer, so they wouldn't hear her while she enchanted their objects.

"So, who wants to help me get lunch ready?" she asked, realizing she needed something to do to keep her mind off of Henry.

"Okay," David agreed, and while Gold didn't say anything, he followed them into the kitchen. "Alright, I'm going to tell you guys what to get, and you'll retrieve it for me. David, I need …"

Henry could tell that the Sheriff was gaining on him. He and Belle had split up, and he'd given Belle the book. In the split second Emma had to choose who to follow, Henry had yelled, "Man, you're slow." Of course, that had made the sheriff choose to go after him, like he'd planned. If Belle had known, she would have never agreed to take the book, but she hadn't. Now, she would be free even if he was caught, which was seeming increasingly likely.

He rounded the corner, passing the door of the library, when hands shot out from the doorway. One grabbed his shoulder and the other grabbed his mouth, and then Henry was being dragged into the long-abandoned library. The door shut and the stranger released his mouth to lock it before quickly placing the hand back.

Emma turned around the corner to discover that her quarry had disappeared. She tried the door to the library, of course, but it was locked, and no one had the key. There was no way the kid had got in there. She ran off down the street, realizing the kid had probably just put on an extra burst of speed.

Once she was out of sight, the hands released Henry. He turned around to see who his rescuer, or attacker, was, but he didn't see him. All he saw was a slip of paper at his feet. He picked it up. It said, "protecting his family." Henry turned it over, wondering if there was something on the other side, but there wasn't. "What could it mean?" he wondered aloud, and the sound of his voice brought him out of the mystery. His mom would be so worried when Belle told her what happened, so he had to get back as soon as possible.

He unlocked the library door, and closed it behind him. He was about to sneak off, when he heard a click. He turned around, trying to catch a glimpse of the other person through the window, but again, he saw no sign of the stranger.

Relieved not to be going to prison and a little creeped out by the library incident, Henry made his way home.

...

Belle had returned to the house a few minutes ago; with the story book and without Henry. Once she heard Sherriff Swan was chasing him, Regina decided she was going to go get him.

"Wait!" Belle said, trying to convince her to think rationally. "Henry might get away. We should wait a little longer for him before we start a rescue mission. We could get caught, and we need to make sure we're risking it to rescue Henry and not because we think Henry needs rescuing when he really doesn't."

Regina did see the point in that, but she had to go help Henry. It was her fault he was in danger in the first place. She was about to completely ignore Belle and charge to her son's rescue, when the door opened, and there he was. Looking slightly out of breath but otherwise fine, he grinned at them all. "We got the book," he said, before he was smothered in a hug.

"Don't you dare do that again," Regina scolded after she was sure her little boy was actually alright. "Next time, let Belle be the distraction, and you get home to me. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, even though he had no attention of doing that. There was no way he was going to let someone else get arrested if he could help it. He was going to be brave, like a hero from a book, and he wasn't going to let anyone else in the resistance get caught if he could help it.

"You did great," Regina told him. Now that her worry for him was starting to disappear, she felt pride welling up. "You did absolutely wonderful."

"Thanks," Henry said, beaming with pride as his mother embraced him yet again.

"Yeah, good job," David said, walking up and hitting him on the back in a proud way. Gold nodded at him from across the room, not saying anything but Henry knew the man was proud of him as well.

Belle started to tell them all how the mission had went, highlighting Henry's involvement in the adventure. After she was done, Regina said, "It seems like a celebration is in order."

She, Gold and David walked into the kitchen, making Belle and Henry wait at the table, since they were the conquering heroes. Soon, they were bringing lunch out, which was sloppy joes and French fries, one of Henry's favorite meals. The sloppy joe meat didn't come out of a can; Regina made it herself. The fries were also homemade. She would cut the potatoes and season them herself.

"Mm, thanks Mom!" Henry said before digging in to the wonderful meal. He'd missed her homemade cooking for the few days they'd been out of ingredients. Soon, everyone was eating, and the room was completely silent except for the sounds created while they ate. No one wanted to talk because then it meant they would have to stop enjoying the wonderful meal until they finished their sentence. They all decided it wasn't worth it.

Soon, everyone had their fill, and they regained the ability to talk. "So, Henry, how'd you get away from Emma?" Belle asked. She'd been wondering this throughout most of the meal, and now seemed like a good time to ask him.

So, Henry told them about the stranger he hadn't seen who had pulled him into the library. "Oh, yeah, and I found this on the floor," he concluded, pulling out the cryptic piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it over to his mom.

Regina looked at it, and the first thing she noticed was that the note was scrawled in the same handwriting that had adorned the potion bottle.

"Protecting his family," Regina read aloud, and looked at the rest of her resistance, but they seemed just as clueless as she was. "Well, we should let this mull around in our heads, and see if we can figure out the meaning." She said, and then rose to take the dishes into the kitchen. Gold and David offered to wash everyone's plates and cups, and the others thanked them before returning to the dining room.

"Hey, Mom," Henry said as he realized it was Friday. He should really ask her his favor now. "I'd like to suggest a mission for Operation Cobra."

"Henry, Belle and I need to find out how to get David's memories back, and what the note you found means. It's great that you have an idea, but right now we have a lot to do. Why don't you tell me after David has his memories?" she asked, not wanting him to feel unimportant but also knowing she wasn't ready for another dangerous or mind-boggling mission at the moment.

"Ok," Henry muttered, and started to walk away, disappointed that his mother didn't have the time to listen to his awesome mission.

"Henry, you did great today," Regina called after her son, before focusing all her energy on finding mention of an object that was important to David in the story book.

…

Henry lay in his bed, full from the wonderful leftovers. Everyone in the house should be sleeping, so the boy slipped out of bed, throwing on the clothes he'd worn that day. He slipped on his watch, barely remembering that his mother wanted him to wear it on all of his missions, before sneaking downstairs. He grabbed one of the wooden practice swords, deciding he might need something to defend himself with. Henry felt terrible about going behind his mother's back on this one, but he really didn't have a choice. She wasn't ready for anything else, being too concerned with David. Besides, everyone would be so proud of him for following this lead. It shouldn't even be that dangerous!

So, without leaving so much as a note, Henry snuck out of the house, ready to complete a mission and be an even bigger part of Operation Cobra. However, he didn't notice the man who was silently following him, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.


	6. Danger and Discovery

**Author's Note: I have decided to do a sction I like to call "Previously on Twice Cursed" to help us all remember what happened last, since it is taking me longer to update. Tell me if you like it or not, because if no one finds it useful, I won't do it, but if you guys find it helpful, I'll continue to use it.  
**

**...**

**Previously on Twice Cursed:**

**Mr. Black was even more ruthless than Gold had ever been, in the Enchanted Forest or otherwise. Several years ago, he had evicted many families from their apartments in the middle of a harsh winter, for no reason except that a child who lived in those buildings had talked to him. Apparently, he'd gotten away with it, and no one had seen the families again. It was assumed that they had died from the harsh cold.**

**Regina sighed as David shook his head. Once they had reached the safety of her house, she'd made him stare at the sword again, hoping he just hadn't been studying it closely enough. Unfortunately, she'd been wrong. She'd watched him closely, and he'd been looking at it with all the interest necessary, but he still didn't have his memories back.**

**All he saw was a slip of paper at his feet. He picked it up. It said, "protecting his family." Henry turned it over, wondering if there was something on the other side, but there wasn't. "What could it mean?" he wondered aloud.**

**So, without leaving so much as a note, Henry snuck out of the house, ready to complete a mission and be an even bigger part of Operation Cobra. However, he didn't notice the man who was silently following him, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.**

* * *

Henry followed the path through the woods, and once he reached the meeting spot, he waited. He was a little early, after all. A few minutes later, someone else entered the small clearing, and the boy's face lit up. "Archie!" he yelled, before running over and embraced his psychiatrist. The man hugged him back.

"Henry, how have you been?" he asked. Henry let go then, but he was beaming.

"Absolutely wonderful! Mom is standing up to Mr. Black, and we've started a resistance! There's only five of us so far, but I'm sure we'll keep growing."

"Henry, that's amazing," Dr. Hopper said.

"Yeah, I bet she'll want to help you guys. She's been really busy, and hasn't let me tell her about you and everyone else yet, but I'm sure we'll join forces and fight Black together."

"That would be great," Archie admitted. "But, Henry, I'm glad you and your mother are getting along better now."

"Yeah, me too. I never realized how awesome she was until lately. I don't think I need to talk to you much today, but I wanted to tell you about the resistance. Oh yeah, we named it Operation Cobra."

"Operation Cobra. That's an interesting name. I like it." Archie was smiling, excited that someone was standing up to Mr. Black and Henry was getting along with his mother.

"I thought of it," Henry declared proudly. Then, Archie realized that if Henry was in a resistance, Black would probably want to catch the boy.

"Henry, now that you're fighting Black, I don't think it's safe for you to be out here alone. You should get back home, before he realizes you left."

"Okay, you're probably right. Anyway, next time I come, I'll bring Mom and maybe some of the other members. I won't come alone again."

"Luckily, once is all it takes." Archie and Henry turned around, to see Mr. Black standing there, looking menacing as always. "Dr. Hopper, I'm surprised you survived the harsh winter you were evicted during. And from your conversation, I assume you weren't the only one to make it through."

Archie, not knowing how to respond to him, simply said nothing. "And Henry, I thought your mother would've taught you better. You shouldn't sneak around alone at night. You might accidently get hurt."

On his last word, he did some sort of flourish with his hand. Then, he looked down at it in shock, surprised. "Perhaps she taught you more than I thought." Apparently, the witch had given him a protection spell. No matter. He could take on a child and a weak forest dweller without magic.

He started to advance, but then they started to back up. He sighed, wishing his quarry would just stand and fight. "I really didn't want to have to use this," he said, pulling out a gun. They both froze, and he smiled triumphantly. This land had very few advantages, but this weapon was one of them.

As he advanced toward them, Dr. Hopper stepped protectively in front of Henry. He didn't want the lad to be hurt, and he had a feeling that was exactly what was going to happen. Not only was Black cruel, but he also seemed to be going crazy, judging by his hand flourish and Black thinking it should have done something. Letting him near Henry would be a very bad idea.

Black walked closer until he was inches from Hopper's face. "Move aside so I can get the boy," he said, pointing the gun strait at Archie's head. The psychiatrist swallowed, forcing himself to do the right thing. "No."

He heard his ribs crack as Black landed a punch on his chest. Archie doubled over from the pain, and Black strode past him, grabbing Henry's arm but keeping the gun pointed at Archie. "Being a hero is slightly overrated, Dr. Hopper. It can end in death," Black threatened. The psychiatrist went several shades paler than normal.

"If you kill him, I'm not going to tell you anything my mother's planning!" Henry yelled. It was the only solution he could think of to try and save the man's life.

Black thought about it, realizing the fastest way to answers was the best way, and if the boy would talk to save the psychiatrist, then he should use that advantage. Besides, he could always kill both of them once he obtained all the information he needed. "Well then, Dr. Hopper, I guess today's your lucky day. You get to live. Now come on, walk that way," he said, using his hand to indicate the direction he wanted them to travel in.

Archie limped ahead of them, one hand hovering over his injury and the other stretched out to catch himself when he stumbled. Black kept a firm hold on Henry's arm, his grip so firm that Henry knew escape wasn't an option. However, he could leave a clue for anyone trying to find them. He dropped the practice sword, and Black didn't even notice it fall onto the forest floor. Hopefully, someone would find it, and come to rescue them, because otherwise, things probably weren't going to go well for them.

…

They were forced into a basement, and then Black slammed the door closed, leaving Henry and Archie alone in the dark. "Are you alright?" Henry asked. He'd been worried about the psychiatrist ever since he'd been hit, but now was really the first opportunity he had to make sure Archie was okay.

"I'll be fine," he said, which Henry knew meant that he was in a lot of pain, but didn't want him to worry.

"We need to get out of here, before he makes me spill all of Operation Cobra's secrets." Henry started walking around the room, using his hands to search for a way out since his eyes would do him no good in the darkness.

"Henry, I'm not sure escape is an option," Archie said, not wanting the boy to get his hopes up.

"In the stories, heroes always find a way to escape, and we're heroes."

"Life doesn't always work the way a story does," Archie said, but Henry ignored him. "We need to make a plan B, just in case."

Henry supposed that Dr. Hopper did have a point. It couldn't hurt to have a backup. "Sure, do you have one?"

"Yes. Lie to him. Tell him things that seem like they could be true, but that will mislead him. That way, we won't be punished, and we won't hurt the resistance."

"Alright, sounds good," Henry agreed, before continuing to look for an exit. Archie just had to be wrong; there was a way out and Henry would find it. Dr. Hopper listened to him walk around, and tried not to sigh. He knew this was most likely to end terribly for them, and that Henry's efforts were most likely futile. As much that he hoped that wasn't the case, he knew that it was, but there was nothing he could do to change the situation, or Henry's mindset, so he lay there listening to the boy's footsteps before drifting off into a nightmare-filled slumber.

…

Henry had been searching for an hour, by his calculations, so it was probably a lot less time than that; but he'd found nothing. There was no way to escape, and nothing he could use to pick the lock. Which meant that they'd have to implement plan B until someone came to rescue them. He hoped that was soon, because the more time they took, the more time Black would have to get information out of him, and verify if the he was telling the truth. And if Black found out that he was lying to him, Henry had a feeling that it would end terribly.

So, Henry decided to follow Archie's example and get some shut-eye, so that when the time came, he'd be ready to escape.

…

David woke up, and seeing that it was still three in the morning, decided to go back to sleep. But, for some reason, his search for rest alluded him, and he stared at the wall for about 15 minutes before deciding to get up. He obviously wasn't going to get any more sleep that night. Soon, he was in the kitchen, sipping a cup of water and wondering what in the world he was going to do for the several hours before anyone else was up. Sword fighting would be good, but it was hard to practice without someone to help him. David supposed he could try to learn more about the world, but he didn't know where any books were, and it would be a waste of time once he regained his memories.

Other than that, David had no ideas of what to do. He moved to go sit in the study, where he could at least be comfortable while he contemplated his options. David walked by the practice sword and entered … sword? There were supposed to be two wooden swords, right? But when he turned around to double check, there was only one. Regina and David had left their swords next to each other, so that meant that someone else had moved it. But who?

Well, it couldn't have been Gold, because he shared a room with David, and the early riser knew that he was still asleep. That left Henry, Belle, and Regina. David walked upstairs, and quietly opened the door to Henry's room. Sure enough, the boy was gone, and had most likely left the house, and taken the sword along to defend himself. David went back downstairs, and grabbed his real sword before leaving the house. He needed to find Henry before the boy landed himself in trouble.

Mr. Nolan was so focused on his goal that he had a lapse in judgment. He should have told someone what was going on, so they could help him. But that thought didn't even occur to him as he wandered through the forest, hoping to stumble upon Henry.

…

Henry and Archie woke up to the sound of the door being slammed against the wall. They both jumped, and prepared for Black to enter and start asking Henry important questions. However, after what seemed like ages of waiting without anyone showing up, Henry walked over to the doorway and looked out into the hallway. "The cost is clear," he told Archie. "Let's go."

"Henry, are you sure this isn't a trap?" Archie asked. It didn't make sense for Black to just let them go. Maybe he was hoping they'd lead him to something, or was just playing games with them.

"Pretty sure. I think we are being rescued, by the same guy that saved me from Sheriff Swan," Henry guessed, and started walking down the hall. Archie followed, agreeing that this was the best course of action, but still wary.

"It could be, Henry, but we still have to stay on our toes."

"Don't worry, I know Black could show up at any second," the boy reassured him as they rounded the corner, and went up the flight of stairs leading up to freedom. "I'm always on alert," he said reassuringly as he flung the trapdoor open, and helped Archie out of the hidden basement in the pawnshop. As soon as Henry closed it, Black entered the room from the front of the shop.

It was only Black's shock that gave Henry and Archie the head start they needed. The duo flung open the side door and ran out into the night, Henry trying to support his injured friend as much as he could. Instead of Black following them out, Sheriff Swan and Deputy Jones ran out after them. Both were very athletic, and it was only a matter of time before they caught up with them, and brought them back to face Black's wrath.

…

Belle was shaken awake by Regina, and was going to complain about it, until she saw the look of desperation on the other woman's face. "What is it?" she asked, sitting upright and looking at the Queen.

"Henry and David are missing. We think they went into the forest, but we have no idea why."

"Right, give me two minutes, and I'll be down."

Regina went back downstairs, and almost immediately started pacing. Gold watched, wanting to comfort her, but not sure how. That, plus his fear of getting punished if he said something wrong, led to his silence.

By the time Belle got there, which only took a couple of minutes, Gold was rather impressed that the carpet didn't have a permanent indentation where she'd been walking. "Alright, what's the plan?" Belle asked, getting right to the point.

"We are going to search the forest until we find a sign of them. Gold's going to stay here, and call us if they return while we're gone."

"Sounds good," Belle agreed. Regina grabbed her cell phone, and soon the two of them were racing through the forest. "So, do you have a spell that can locate them?"

"No. I'm tracking them," Regina said, looking terrified for her son but determined to find him.

Magic would have been quicker, but Belle supposed tracking would work just fine. Anyway, it was better than crashing through the forest at random, hoping to run into them by chance.

…

David, after running through the forest for several hours, picking his direction just by intuition, started to think that he needed a better plan. He slowed down, to think of a more effective way to find the boy, when he heard a scream. Throwing all caution to the wind, as he'd done simply by leaving the house that morning, David sprinted toward the noise.

…

Emma and Killian had caught up with them in the forest, and now Emma was holding Henry while Killian was restraining Archie. Henry had tried fiercely to escape, safe in the knowledge that Emma wasn't going to shoot him. She was too good for that. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to mind hurting him, and had twisted his arm behind his back, enough to hurt, a lot, but not enough to cause any real damage.

Satisfied with Henry's compliance, she cuffed his hands behind his back, just as her deputy did the same to the psychiatrist that had supposedly died in the harsh winter years ago. She had been shocked to discover that he was alive, and was disappointed that he had been associating with Henry, and thus Regina. If Emma hadn't had to capture him, she would have asked him for a therapy session. Emma hauled the boy to his feel, preparing to take him back to Black. However, before she could even take a step, something slammed into her, hard, and she went sprawling onto the ground.

David grinned, satisfied with his results; he was lying on top of the sheriff, and the deputy was pinned to a tree with David's sword piercing through his jacket. All in all, he considered his attack very successful. That was, until Emma kneed him in the stomach, forcing him off her. Soon, they were both on their feet, glaring at each other.

Emma moved to get Henry, hoping the man wouldn't attack her if he thought the boy's well-being was at stake.

David stepped in front of the punch meant for Henry, willing to protect the boy at any cost. Emma's rather soft punch collided with his stomach. Obviously, she hadn't wanted to hurt Henry that much. However, that wasn't the only thing that hit him. Memories entered his brain, all at once, and there was no way he could keep them all straight.

However, by the time Emma was rearing up for another punch, he was aware enough to grab her arm and flip around behind her, putting her in the same hold she'd used on Henry. Charming had no idea what was going on, but judging by everyone's behavior, he suspected that Belle and Regina were the only ones who remembered their real lives.

"That was awesome!" Henry exclaimed, bringing David back to the present. He grabbed the keys off Emma's belt, and tossed them to Henry, who managed to catch them even though his hands were behind him.

"Get yourself free, and then go help Archie."

"You remember!" Henry exclaimed, realizing that was the only way David could possibly know who Dr. Hopper was.

"Yeah, I got my memories back just now, while stopping Emma from hurting you."

"That's what that meant!" Henry realized, freeing himself and walking over to undo Archie's handcuffs.

"What are you talking about?" David asked, having no idea where his grandson was coming from.

"I can't say now, not when the enemy can overhear us," Henry reminded him as he freed Archie's handcuffs.

"Now, we better get you home before anything else happens," David asserted, before hitting Emma hard on the head, sending her unconscious and lowering her to the ground. He hated hurting his own daughter, but it was the only way he could be sure that they wouldn't be followed. It was much easier for him to render Killian unconscious, and after retrieving his sword, Charming walked over and supported Archie on their way back to the house.

…

When the tracks had split, Regina and Belle had followed Henry's, more concerned about a young boy being out alone than a trained swordmaster. Soon, they'd found a spot where Henry's tracks joined with two others, and then, they found the sword.

"Black must have captured him," Regina said as she picked up the wooden sword off the ground. "I'm going to kill him! He'll regret ever trying to stand up to me! And Henry! How dare he leave like that!"

"Regina, calm down! This won't help Henry!" Belle yelled, trying to calm the angry sorcerous down.

"You're right." Regina said, looking at the sword in her hand. "We need to stay focused."

"Yes, and you're terrible at that." Both women turned around to face the new threat, feeling terrible for not noticing the stranger sooner. They faced their attacker. Regina's mouth fell open and Belle let in a gasp of shock. For the threat was the last person they had expected to find.


	7. New Faces

**Author's Note: Only a few people commented on the previously section, and all of them liked it, so it's going to stay. I hope everyone's alright with that.**

**...**

**Previously on Twice Cursed**

**Regina jumped up and walked over to her filing cabnent, where she had kept information on everyone in Storybrooke.**

******Mr. Black was even more ruthless than Gold had ever been, in the Enchanted Forest or otherwise. Several years ago, he had evicted many families from their apartments in the middle of a harsh winter, for no reason except that a child who lived in those buildings had talked to him. Apparently, he'd gotten away with it, and no one had seen the families again. It was assumed that they had died from the harsh cold.**

**********All he saw was a slip of paper at his feet. He picked it up. It said, "protecting his family." Henry turned it over, wondering if there was something on the other side, but there wasn't. "What could it mean?" he wondered aloud.**

**********David stepped in front of the punch meant for Henry, willing to protect the boy at any cost. Emma's rather soft punch collided with his stomach. Obviously, she hadn't wanted to hurt Henry that much. However, that wasn't the only thing that hit him. Memories entered his brain, all at once, and there was no way he could keep them all straight.**

**********They faced their attacker. Regina's mouth fell open and Belle let in a gasp of shock. For the threat was the last person they had expected to find.**

* * *

Robin had started tracking Archie five minutes after he was supposed to get back from his meeting with Henry. He half expected to find the two of them still talking, having lost track of time. That happened quite often. However, as soon as he saw the extra three sets of footprints, he'd started to get worried. Following them had led him to where the two women were talking with each other, but that didn't answer the question of where his friends were.

Deciding they might have something to do with them leaving the meeting spot, he moved forward to strike. The mayor gave him the perfect idea when she commented to the woman he didn't recognize, "We need to stay focused."

"Yes, and you're terrible at that," Robin said, stepping out and training his bow on the mayor. Both women looked utterly shocked.

"Robin?" Regina asked, her voice getting higher pitched. She'd looked for him in the file cabinet, but his name hadn't been there. She'd assumed he was either dead, out of town, or the most likely, that he was the mystery person who kept helping them. Now however, she found him pointing a bow at her, and none of her three theories could explain his reasoning behind that.

"I'm rather impressed, Madam Mayor, that you remember my name after several years." She stared at him, relieved he was alive but having no idea how to cope with the way he was acting. Regina was so used to using him as her anchor, and the fact that he thought of her as some menace made her feel terrible. "However, that is not what I'm here to discuss. Where is Dr. Hopper?" He would have asked about Henry as well, but he was sure the lad would be safe if the mayor was involved. Archie, however, didn't have the same protection.

"I don't know. We've been trying to find my son," Regina admitted. She seemed to be genuine, but Robin wasn't sure that he could trust her. She let Black evict him and his little son years ago, and she was known for siding with the menace.

"How do I know I can …" he started to ask, when her phone rang. She pulled it out, an apologetic look on her face, and answered it. Robin let her, since the call might give him more information about Archie and Henry's whereabouts.

"Hello," Regina answered, and then listened to what the person was saying on the other end. Part way through, she visibly relaxed. "Thank you, Gold. We'll be there soon," she finished, before hanging up. "Both Dr. Hopper and Henry are at my house. Would you like to come back with us?"

It could very easily be a trap, intended to capture him. His community needed him to survive, he was their leader and best hunter. They never would have made it through the first few months without him, and they still relied heavily on his leadership. If this was a trap, he'd be risking the fate of everyone who he protected. However, he had to find Archie, and the look on the woman's face made him want to trust her. "Lead the way."

She nodded, and started walking quickly. Regina wanted to see Henry, to make sure he truly was safe and give him the lecture of a lifetime. She didn't care whether or not Belle and Robin kept up, the most important think was her son's safety.

…

David felt way out of his depth as he stared at the instruction manual that came with the first aid kit. He was a master at sustaining injuries, but he knew next to nothing about patching them up. Perhaps they should kidnap Whale?

"Does it say anything about broken bones?" Archie asked.

"Uh, I don't think so. It mentions sprains?" he said, wondering if that would help.

"It's defiantly not a sprain," Henry said. "Are you sure it doesn't mention broken bones?"

"I'm pretty sure they assume you'll go to the doctor if you get that hurt," David informed him.

"I wish I could," Archie muttered. "If I tried, though, I'd be captured on the spot."

"Maybe your mom could help," David said to Henry. "She's pretty knowledgeable in many areas."

"Yeah, but I've never seen her heal a broken bone." They all fell silent, Archie wondering if he'd ever get healed, Henry trying to think of a good solution, and David contemplating the pros and cons of kidnapping Whale. He mostly just saw pros.

"Does anyone in your village know how to heal broken bones?" Henry asked. Archie shook his head, instantly wishing he'd spoken instead as the small movement caused his ribs to hurt.

"Why don't we just drive him to the town over?" Gold suggested speaking up for the first time. This answer had seemed obvious to him from the beginning, but maybe his allies knew a problem with that idea that he hadn't considered. However, if they could go shopping in another town, why couldn't they see a doctor somewhere else?

"Why didn't I think of that?!" Henry exclaimed, beaming at Gold. "You're brilliant." Gold stood, shocked that he was being praised so highly for such a simple thing.

David wasn't sure that leaving town was an option. Could they leave without something terrible happening to them? Before he could figure out a way to state his worry without telling them about the curse, Archie spoke. "I don't have the money to see a doctor."

"Nonsense," Henry told him. "This falls under Operation Cobra's emergency funds. You're a member, so you have money."

And then, the door slammed open, and Regina ran in. Seeing Henry, she dashed to him and embraced him in a hug. "Are you alright?" she asked, letting go of him enough so he'd have enough air to answer.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Then, she let him go, and her look of worry changed into anger.

"Why did you leave the house? Without even telling someone where you were going?" Henry looked sheepishly at the floor, scared to answer her when she was in her angry mode.

"That would be my fault." Regina whirled around, to face Archie. "I meet him in the forest once every other week, to help him talk things through. We've been meeting ever since Black evicted me and the others. Henry needed the sessions, so we continued. He was leaving to talk to me."

"Well then, this situation sounds like it's Henry's fault." She turned back to face her son. "We're going to ignore all the other times you've snuck out of the house for now. Why did you think it was okay to leave with only a wooden sword to protect you when Black is trying to stop us?"

"Well, I had to tell them about the resistance," he muttered.

"And you couldn't have told me about it?!"

"I tried!" he yelled. "You told me to wait until David had his memories back, remember? I tried to tell you about everything." Regina realized that he was right; she should have listened to him. "And the funny thing is, that by doing my mission, David ended up getting his memories back."

"What?" Regina asked, looking over at Charming, who nodded, while telling her with his eyes that they were going to have a long talk later. She recovered from her shock. "Henry, let's make a deal," she offered, right as Belle and Robin walked through the door, having gone at a slower pace than their companion.

Robin still thought it was a trap, until he saw Dr. Hopper sitting on the couch. He started to head toward his friend, when he noticed Belle was trying to stifle a laugh as she watched Henry interact with his mom. "You promise not to leave the house without telling me, and I'll promise to listen to what you have to say."

"Deal," Henry said, and they shook hands. Then, he noticed Robin and Belle. "Robin! How'd you know to come here?" Robin filled the boy in as Belle walked over to Regina.

"Nice deal, Rumple," Belle whispered, which earned her an Evil Queen glare. Regina hated her supposed nick name, but at least Belle hadn't said it any louder.

"Are you sure Black won't stop us from leaving town to bring Archie to a doctor?" David asked loudly, drawing Belle and Regina's attention back to the main conversation.

"No, we should be fine," Belle said, and he believed her. Looking back on all the conversations he'd heard Belle and Regina have, he knew they both had their true memories, so leaving the town wasn't an issue if they didn't think it was.

"Belle, why don't you take him and a few others right now. He should get that looked at soon. David, I need to fill you in on everything you missed," she informed him, gesturing toward her study door. Glad to have a chance to discover what was going on, Charming followed Regina, leaving the others to discuss who would go with Archie and Belle.

"I have to get back," Robin said reluctantly once the door closed behind the former and current resistance leaders. He wished he could stay with his friend, but the rest of the town needed him.

"I'll be fine, don't worry," Archie reassured him, and Robin left. That left Gold and Henry.

"We could both go," Henry suggested, but Gold shook his head.

"I'll stay here and help hold down the fort," he suggested, and finding nothing wrong with that plan, the trio left, telling him to inform David and Regina of who was where.

…

Alright, so what happened to Neal?" David asked, after he'd been filled in. Emma was obviously the new sheriff, and Snow would have her old position as teacher. "He's with Snow, right?"

"Um, I don't know," Regina admitted. While trying to figure out this mystery, the Charming's' infant son had been the last thing on her mind.

"You don't know where my son is?" he asked, incredulous.

"No, I don't! Despite what you may think, all of my attention has been focused on figuring out this curse. I haven't been trying to keep track of every Storybrooke citizen! I didn't even realize Archie was living in the forest!"

David sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We have to find him," he said finally, looking up to meet her gaze. Regina understood the worry she found there, since she'd felt that way earlier that very same day when she had been trying to find Henry.

"Alright, I'll get Sidney to find him."

"Sidney?" David questioned, in a way that made it clear he didn't trust the mirror.

"Look, he'll do what I want him to. He won't hurt your son, and he's done a very good job at helping me so far. We can trust him to figure out where Neal is, and it will be easier for him, since he isn't on the town's most wanted list."

David realized that she was right, and as long as Neal was safe, it didn't matter who found him. "Okay, if you're sure we can trust him."

"Alright, now that you're caught up, tell me how you got your memory back." Regina was very curious, since she had spent so much time puzzling over the question, only to have Charming get his memories back almost magically.

"Well, I saw Emma and Hook attacking Archie and Henry, so I tried to fight them off. I got Hook pinned to a tree, and then fought Emma. She tried to go for Henry, and I stepped in front. As soon as her punch hit me, I remembered."

"Protecting his family!" Regina exclaimed, connecting the pieces. "That's what it meant!" Somehow, their mysterious helper knew how to jog David's memory, and had left them that clue. Unfortunately, that realization just lead to more questions about the man than answers.

"Wait," David said, remembering when Henry had told them about the note. "You think he was trying to give us a clue about how to get my memory back? And how do we know that it was because I was protecting Henry? I thought it was because I saw Emma."

"If that were the case, you would have remembered when you first saw Emma, not while you were in the middle of battling her," Regina pointed out. "No, he knew how you could get your memories back."

David had to admit Regina had a point. "Okay, but how does he know so much about me?"

"He knows a lot about the entire town, not just you. As for how, I have no idea."

David paused, trying to think about it. "Maybe he's the one who cast the curse? You knew what everything would be like when you cast it."

Regina shook her head. "If that were the case, then he wouldn't be helping us try to break the curse."

"Maybe he's not," David suggested, and Regina paused, wanting to hear his theory. "He didn't expect you to have your memories, so he had to deal with that by making you think you're figuring out the curse, while he's actually leading you in the wrong direction."

David could be on to something. It would explain how he seemed to know every little fact about the curse. "But why didn't he put himself in a position of power, and if he cast it, then where does Black fit in?"

"Hey, my theory's not perfect," David admitted. "But it is something to think about." Regina nodded, accepting his answer and deciding to keep his theory in the back of her head. She couldn't rely on the mystery man to help them in every situation. They needed to be prepared for the worst; that he was actually trying to trick them, even if that did seem very unlikely.

They walked out of her study then, and Gold informed them of Robin's return home and Belle, Archie, and Henry's departure for the town over. "Alright, so now I need to talk with Sidney about … something," she said, realizing explaining Neal to Gold might get complicated.

"I'll stay here and make sure nothing happens," Gold offered, not wanting to leave the house. He was afraid that the second he left the house, Black would get ahold of him and force him to work for him yet again.

"Alright. Both David and I are going. Are you okay with that?" He nodded, and Regina and David left, Regina sending a quick text to Sidney so the mirror would know she wanted to meet. David followed Regina, determined to find his son, and protect him. Neal was not going to have to go through everything Emma had experienced if he had anything to say about it.

…

Belle helped Archie out of the car as Henry hopped out of the back seat. Dr. Hopper let her support him, despite feeling bad about it. He knew one should accept help when they needed it; he had given that advise to people on many occasions, but that didn't hinder him from feeling terrible about forcing Belle to help him. Archie was supposed to be a gentleman, and it was hard to feel honorable while leaning on a lady.

Soon, they were in a waiting room, wondering if it would take two hours before someone could see them. Henry tried to keep their mind off the long wait by introducing them to each other and discussing Operation Cobra. However, that only lasted them an hour, and then they had to find something else to do with their time.

"We could read the little kid books," Henry finally suggested when he couldn't think of anything else to do. Besides, he sometimes enjoyed books meant for younger audiences.

"Oh, wait!" Belle exclaimed, Henry's statement having reminded her of something. "I brought the _Once Upon a Time_ book, to see if it had any hidden clues about Black. It's in the car."

"I'll go get it!" Henry offered, and as soon as Belle gave him the keys, he dashed off to retrieve the book. From what he'd seen of it, the book looked utterly fascinating. Plus, he would get to enjoy the book while working on a mission for Operation Cobra. What could be better than that?

As soon as he got to the parking lot, he unlocked the car and opened the truck. As he leaned forward to grab the book, he started to feel light headed, and could see black spots in his vision. He immediately straitened, clutching the book with one hand, and the sensation suddenly disappeared. Hoping he wasn't getting sick, he walked back inside, handing the book to Belle before plopping down beside her.

Picking up on his sudden change of mood, Belle asked, "Henry, are you okay?"

"Kind of. I think I might be getting sick." Both grownups looked at him, concerned, so he elaborated. "When I bent over to grab the book, I started to feel really light headed. I feel fine now, but I don't know what caused it."

"Well, Henry, maybe you should take it easy," Dr. Hopper advised, but Belle wasn't listening. How could she have forgotten to keep Henry close to her? His light headedness must have been caused by being outside the town and too far away from the tea cup in her purse. He could have died, easily. She'd have to be more careful about that in the future.

"Yeah, if anything else happens, I'll let one of you know," Henry reassured Archie as Belle tuned back into the conversation. "Can we read the book now?"

"Sure," Belle agreed, and started to read it aloud. However, her brain was elsewhere, trying to crack the mysteries of the curse.

…

Emma sighed as she walked back into the house and slumped on the couch. Killian came up and put his arm around her. "Why don't we just resist him, love?" he questioned, knowing Emma hated working for Black, especially now that he was making them hunt down a child.

"You know it's not that easy," she reprimanded.

"But, why not? We could run away, join the mayor and her haphazard resistance, and fight Black. He wouldn't be able to figure out in time. It would be perfect."

"But then we'll have to take Ashley and Sean and their baby, and that's way too many innocent people to put in harm's way," Emma objected.

"Swan, there are already too many innocents in harm's way. We'll just be putting ourselves in a position to help more of them."

They'd had this discussion many times before, but this time, if felt different. This time, with the resistance that Regina had started, they actually had a chance to defeat Black. "If Ashley and Sean want to, we'll do it," Emma caved, and it was worth it to see the smile on Killian's face. Then, there was a knock at the door.

"That must be them," he said, kissing her on the cheek before getting up to answer. "So, how …" he started, but then froze mid-sentence. Emma rose to see what was going on, and saw Black, with a gun at both Ashley and Sean's heads. Ashley was holding Alexandra. And Sean was holding Neal.

"So," Black said tauntingly, enjoying the shock and terror on the cops' faces, "How long have you two kept your marriage and baby a secret from me?"


	8. Progress

**Author's Note: By the way, in this version, Rumple and Belle aren't married yet.**

**...**

**Previously on Twice Cursed:**

**"Look, Sidney will do what I want him to. He won't hurt your son, and he's done a very good job at helping me so far. We can trust him to figure out where Neal is, and it will be easier for him, since he isn't on the town's most wanted list."**

**How could she have forgotten to keep Henry close to her? His light headedness must have been caused by being outside the town and too far away from the tea cup in her purse. He could have died, easily. She'd have to be more careful about that in the future.**

**Emma rose to see what was going on, and saw Black, with a gun at both Ashley and Sean's heads. Ashley was holding Alexandra. And Sean was holding Neal.**

* * *

Sidney wasn't happy that there was a stranger with Regina, but he didn't comment on it. If she trusted him, than he should, too. "I've been spreading the rumors, and it's working. They fear and hate Black more than you. However, I'm not sure that will stop them from siding with him, especially if he threatens those they love."

"Alright, but keep the rumors circulating for now," Regina ordered. It was still a good idea to convince the people Black was the enemy, even with the danger of them siding with him out of fear. It was better than them siding with him because of their hatred of her. Plus, if she offered them protection from Black, the people of Storybrooke would swarm onto her side, giving her the advantage if it came to a full-scale fight. "Anyway, Sidney, this is David. David, Sidney." Both men shook hands, but glared at each other. Apparently, it would take more than her approval to convince Sidney David wasn't a threat, and David would probably never trust Sidney, since his actions were so heavily influenced by her.

"Sidney, we need you to find a baby for us. His name is Neal, and we think Black might try to hurt him at some point. We need you to bring him back to us."

"Got it. I'll dig around, see what I can find," the mirror agreed.

"Bit too late for that, mate." Regina suppressed a groan as she turned around to face the pirate and Savior. "Should have started looking sooner," Killian said, his voice laced with bitterness.

"All three of you, hands up," Emma ordered. Charming glanced at Regina as he slowly lifted his arms, waiting for her to use magic. However, to his shock, she shook her head.

"Why?" he asked as Killian roughly forced his hands behind his back.

"You're sword." Seeing he didn't understand, she decided to elaborate. The others would think she'd gone insane, but she needed Charming to understand the severity of the situation. "I enchanted it so no one can use black magic in its vicinity. Including me. And my light magic isn't that good yet."

Sure enough, Sidney and the police were staring at her like she'd lost her mind, but Charming obviously understood. "Why would you do that?" he asked.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," she muttered, and Emma finished handcuffing Sidney and moved over to restrain Regina.

"Enough nonsense," Killian said, before grabbing David's arm. Emma grabbed Sidney with one hand and Regina with the other. "It's time for you three to face Black." The police marched their new prisoners off toward the station, both wishing they had joined Regina sooner, before it was too late.

…

Henry started to feel funny as they reached the end of the book. Almost as if he'd heard the whole thing before. He let Belle's voice tell him the story, while focusing on what was familiar about it. Just as all the pieces were about to slide into place, someone said, "Dr. Hopper?" making Belle close the book. The abrupt halt was rather annoying, Henry thought, as he and Belle followed Archie to the doctor's office. The tension and excitement of discovery was built up, but there was no way to dissipate it without finishing the book. It nagged at him as the doctor asked Archie all sorts of questions.

Belle helped answer as many questions as she could, after getting over her surprise that Archie had wanted her and Henry to stay with him in the doctor's office. Maybe he didn't want to be left alone, or maybe he was nervous about it since he'd been living in a forest for what he thought to be several years. Either way, she patiently answered the questions Archie hesitated on, and soon the doctor was feeling his ribs. Then, he listened to his breathing.

"You need to get an x-ray, to see if it is broken or just bruised. We'll also be able to see if you have any worse injuries," the doctor informed him. He took Archie to get the x-ray, telling Belle and Henry to wait for them in the office.

"Could we read some more?" Henry asked as soon as the door was shut behind the doctor.

"Henry, don't you think we should wait for Dr. Hopper? He was enjoying the book as well, and he might have insights we didn't think about." Henry pouted slightly, but he didn't want his friend to miss out, even if he did want to figure out why the book seemed familiar.

"Okay, but what else can we do?" Belle heard the unspoken 'to take our minds off Archie's condition,' and tried to think of a good answer.

"Uh, we could play eye spy?" she suggested. Henry thought of that as a kid's game, but couldn't think of anything better to do. "Alright, I spy …"

He was interrupted as Belle's phone rang. Seeing it was Regina's home number, she answered. "Hello?"

It was Gold who answered, and he sounded frantic. "I called Regina, and the Sherriff answered. She and David are both caught. What should I do?"

Belle had to take a minute to gather her thoughts. "Just calm down, alright? We'll be back as soon as possible, and we'll think of a plan then."

Gold nodded in agreement, before realizing she couldn't see him. "Okay," he said.

"Just stay calm. It will be okay," Belle said, before hanging up and turning to face Henry. "You're mom and David have just been caught. We need to start thinking of a plan to rescue them."

Before Henry could respond to the terrible news, the doctor and Archie came back in. "Great news," the doctor said. "Nothing is wrong with his lungs or any vital organ, and his rib doesn't appear to be fractured." Archie was nodding along with the man, obviously having heard this before. "However, fractures don't always show up. I'm going to give him pain meds, and ask that he refrains from too much activity. Come back in a week for a checkup, or if anything gets worse. Now, just let me write the prescription."

Soon, they were in the waiting room for the prescription medicine, and there were eight people in front of them waiting for medicine. So, it was going to be a pretty long wait. Henry sighed and passed impatiently, thinking only about the trouble his mom was in. Belle filled Archie in quietly, and the psychiatrist tried to convince them he didn't need the pain medication; that they could just forget about it and go back to Storybrooke. He could just take the over the counter stuff, like Advil or Motrin. Both of them argued that he needed the stronger medicine, because they'd notice him wince every time he even just shifted positions.

So, Belle called Gold to let him know they would take a while. He didn't answer. She started to panic slightly, and tried calling his cell instead of Regina's house, when she remembered he didn't have a cell; Black never let him get one.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked. Both he and Archie were looking at her, concerned.

"Gold won't answer. He's left the house, or more likely, been captured." There was a silence for a second, before both of them spoke at once. Archie said he really didn't need the pain meds, while Henry was asking her if she could go back and deal with the crisis on her own. Of course, neither was a good idea. If Archie couldn't even pick up his phone without wincing, he defiantly needed the pain medication. As for Belle returning to town without them, she had a feeling something terrible would happen to both of them if they were away from the cup.

"No, Archie, you need the medicine to help you function normally. As for splitting up, I'll need your help to defeat Black. We'll just have to wait here for the medicine, and that's final." The tone of her voice brooked no argument, so they reluctantly fell silent, waiting for the pharmacists to get to them, and hoping their allies were relatively safe.

…

Belle had sufficiently calmed Gold down during their phone call, to the point where he could think semi-clearly. The sheriff and her deputy had always followed Black's orders reluctantly, but now, all of a sudden, they had captured his enemies without him even there to see what was going on. He knew Black hadn't been there because Sheriff Swan had mentioned something about waiting for him to arrive. Anyway, all this to say that Black must have suddenly obtained leverage over the two of them. And he knew from experience that the best leverage was a person you cared about.

So, he could safely come to the conclusion that Black was holding someone, or several people, hostage to ensure that his will was executed. And, since he needed leverage against the police, the prisoners weren't in the station. They'd be in Black's secret prison, where he'd kept Bae …

Just the thought of his son sent him into tears, but he was finally able to recover. They'd be in the secret prison, and since Black was on his way to the police station, there was probably no one guarding them. Which gave him the perfect opportunity to rescue them.

Except, of course, that he was terrified of Black. If he got caught, Black would punish him severely. But, he owed this to Regina. After all she'd done to help him, he needed to help her with the resistance.

Gold walked to Black's house, where the secret prison was, second guessing himself every step of the way. He almost turned around several different times, but always managed to keep going, telling himself that he needed to be brave. However, every ounce of bravery seemed to flee from him as soon as he was standing in front of the house. Gold swallowed, and forced himself to enter.

Trying to pretend he wasn't disobeying every rule Black had set in place, Gold opened the trapdoor to the basement, and walked down. Sure enough, behind the bars of the prison, there were two people and two babies. All of them looked healthy enough. They were shocked as he pulled the key off it's hook on the wall and opened the cell, whispering, "Let's go."

Sean and Ashley only hesitated for a second before following Gold. They walked upstairs, and were about to leave through the front door, when Gold saw Black approaching the house. Forcing down panic, he led them out the back door instead, closing it a split second before Black opened the front door. Then, he quickly hobbled toward the police station, with the others on his heels, certain Swan and Jones would join the resistance now that Black no longer had a strong hold over them.

…

Emma sighed as Black left the office, ordering her to kill Regina, and torture the other two. She wasn't a murder, or evil, and she'd told him so in no uncertain terms. He'd just smiled, and said he hoped she could be, for Neal's sake. Then, he'd strode out of the office, leaving Emma in the most difficult decision of her life. She couldn't lose Neal, but she also couldn't in good conscience kill someone in cold blood.

"Do you want me to do it, love?" Killian offered, although she knew he despised the prospect as much as she did. He was trying to be a gentleman for her.

"No. He told me to do it." Emma said. But, the monster hadn't specified exactly _how_ Emma had to kill the mayor. She should do it properly, giving the woman a chance to say a few final words. Maybe, Emma would even throw her in the river to drown. Maybe Regina could survive that? Anyway, it would make her feel slightly better about this whole catastrophe.

_Yeah, and then Neal can grow up with a murderer for a mother_, the thought slipped into her head. What was she thinking! She couldn't sacrifice her morals, and kill this woman! But then Neal …

"Why does life have to be so difficult!" she yelled out, making Killian jump with shock, and then tears began to slip down her face.

"It isn't always, dearie," Gold said. Emma whirled around, and saw Sean and Ashley headed toward her, with Neal safely in Sean's arms. She ran over and gently took Neal from him, holding him close and letting tears fall down her face. She was so glad he was safe. Killian came up and stood near her, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling at his little boy.

Gold watched them, feeling like he was intruding on a private moment and wondering where the dearie had come from. From what he could remember, he'd never used that word before, but it had just slipped out somehow.

After Emma and Killian hugged Sean, Ashley, and of course, Neal, they turned to talk to Gold. "Thank you for saving them, mate," Killian said.

"Well, I was hoping you'd do something for me in return." The deputy's eyes instantly narrowed, and Gold hastened to explain. "Regina and David and their informant. I'm in the resistance, and I was hoping you'd let them go."

Killian's gaze softened, and he turned to Emma. "What do you say, love?" he asked. They'd argued about this so much in the past that he wanted to make sure they were on the same page now.

"We won't just let them go. We'll join the resistance." Gold smiled with relief, and Sean and Ashley seemed excited about the prospect of standing up to Black as well. The town tyrant would be chasing after them anyway, they might as well do something useful while avoiding his grasp.

Soon, Regina, David, and Sidney were let out of their cell, and the entire entourage was headed back to Regina's house, after Regina and David had convinced the others that their talk of magic had been a code. That's when Regina got the idea. Seeing Gold and Emma walking right next to each other, she wondered if she could get the sheriff to say her name. Maybe then Gold would get his memories back, which would be two huge blows in one day to Black's evil plans.

"I don't think you've been properly introduced to David," Regina commented to the sheriff.

"Oh, you're right. Sorry, I'm Sheriff Swan." Of course, Emma would figure out a way to mess up saying her name.

"I don't think you're technically the sheriff anymore." Emma paused, realizing the mayor, or, former mayor, was right.

"I guess you're right. I'm Emma Swan. Nice to officially meet you." She shook her father's hand, and only Regina noticed Gold freeze for a second before continuing to walk.

"Emma. What a lovely name," he commented, and Regina knew Rumpelstiltskin was back.

…

Belle pulled into the driveway and hopped out. Henry slipped up to the drivers seat and locked the car from the inside, like she'd told him to. She was going to go into the house, and make sure the coast was clear. If it was, she'd come back and get the boys. If not, Henry was supposed to drive, with lots of instruction from Archie, to a safer parking spot, from which they'd go back to Robin and tell the archer what had happened.

Belle tried to quell her nerves as she walked up to the door, and opened it slowly. She heard talking, and inched toward the sound. She heard Emma's voice, and then Rumple's. He was in danger! She peaked around the corner, and sighed with relief when she saw everyone was talking to each other.

"You didn't check the answering machine, I see," she said, stepping into the study. They all jumped, but relaxed when they saw who it was. "So," she continued before anyone could respond to her comment, "our resistance has obviously grown. You'll have to fill me in on the details after I get Archie and Henry."

She walked back out to the car, and gave Henry a thumbs down, as that was their signal. He'd said Black might force her to come out and give him the thumbs up, so they should have the signal be something the bad guys wouldn't expect it to be.

Henry jumped out of the car, and they helped Archie inside. Then, the group explained how Gold had rescued Sean, Ashley, and the babies, so Black no longer had anything to hold over Emma and Killian. Then, Rumple came up, told her he was sorry he hadn't checked the answering machine, and hugged her. She was shocked by his sudden bravery and embrace, but David mouthed Emma, and Belle realized the savior must have gotten Gold's memories back, without even realizing it.

"Wow, one rescue mission, and you're suddenly really outgoing," Henry told Gold.

"Yes, well, if you do the brave thing, bravery will follow," he commented, grinning at the person he'd learned that from. She smiled at her boyfriend, and hugged him tighter. Now that Rumple was back, nothing could stop them from breaking the curse and defeating Black, she just new it.

…

She backed away in fear as the man approached her. He wasn't the man who brought her medicine or food, so she didn't know what he wanted with her. He rolled his eyes, and waved his hand in front of her face.

Memories came flooding back; she was Zelena, and she was going to defeat Regina and Rumple. "I assume you want out of this dull place," the man said, looking around the insane asylum room. "If you help me defeat Regina, you can get out, and I'll even consider helping you with your goals afterwards. Do we have a deal?"

The way he said it was deeper and more menacing, if that was possible, then when Rumple asked if a deal could be made. "Yes we do," Zelena said without a moment's hesitation, and a smile crossed Black's face.

Good luck standing up to me now, he thought, and strode out of the room, henchwoman following. Finally, despite the police's betrayal, things were starting to look up.


	9. Mystery Man

**Previously on Twice Cursed:**

**"Emma. What a lovely name," he commented, and Regina knew Rumpelstiltskin was back.**

**Gold had rescued Sean, Ashley, and the babies, so Black no longer had anything to hold over Emma and Killian.**

**Henry started to feel funny as they reached the end of the book. Almost as if he'd heard the whole thing before.**

**Memories came flooding back; she was Zelena, and she was going to defeat Regina and Rumple. "I assume you want out of this dull place," the man said, looking around the insane asylum room. "If you help me defeat Regina, you can get out, and I'll even consider helping you with your goals afterwards."**

* * *

"So, why can't we come in with you?" Regina was starting to wonder if letting Emma and Killian join their little group was worth it. Honestly, couldn't the Savior let her have a meeting with the people she wanted to without trying to butt in?

"Because, they are fellow leaders, and you are not," Regina said bluntly. David shifted uncomfortably, wanting to stand up for his daughter but also recognizing they really did need to have a chat with only people who had their true memories present.

"Don't worry, we'll fill you in on all the important things," Belle said, obviously on damage control.

Emma looked like she wanted to argue, but Killian stepped in. "Make sure that you do, mate." He then steered Emma over to the couch, making David feel even more uncomfortable about the entire situation. He didn't like how his daughter and Killian seemed to have bonded even more during the curse.

Once everyone was inside the study, Regina closed the door. "Thanks for finally deciding to join us, Gold," she said.

"Sorry I took so long, dearie, but I enjoyed watching you struggle without my help." That was the only thing he could think to say that wouldn't reveal how embarrassed he felt about how he'd acted while under the curse.

"Ok," Belle interjected before the argument could escalate any further. "So, we are supposed to come up with a plan, right?"

"I need to be filled in," Gold reminded everyone, before they started talking about things he hadn't heard. He tried to ignore the embarrassment for having to ask for information, instead of being the one to provide it. Regina did most of the talking, giving him the unabridged version of what she'd been up to since the curse was cast.

"Alright, now that everyone's caught up, what's next?" David asked.

"We need to defeat Black. Now that Rumpelstiltskin can help, it shouldn't be a problem," Regina suggested. "No matter how powerful he is, we should be able to take him on together."

"Alright, but we still have to break the curse, and discover who the mystery man is."

"Oh, and get Robin into the group, and find a place for our new resistance members to stay," David added onto Belle's list.

"Alright, let's split the tasks. Gold and I will focus on Black. Charming, you get some of the idiots out there to help you rope Robin into the group, and figure out where everyone will sleep. Belle, you can research the curse and our mysterious helper."

Everyone agreed, although David muttered something about Emma not being an idiot. So, they headed back to the rest of their team, to inform them of parts of the plan.

…

While the self-appointed leaders had talked in the study, the rest of the resistance had a meeting of their own. "Kid, why won't they let us in on their meetings?" Emma asked.

"I don't know," Henry admitted. "It doesn't make much sense to me."

"Maybe they don't want us to see them arguing," Archie suggested. "As the leaders, they don't want us to lose faith in them over an argument they can resolve."

"Well, why are they the leaders? I'm pretty sure Killian and I know more about how to catch a criminal than they do," Emma pointed out. "Why not take advantage of our skills?"

"Yeah," Sidney agreed. "I know as much about Black as Gold does, if not more. I should be in there, too."

"We should convince them to let everyone be at the meetings." Henry agreed with their goals, but he thought the leadership was fine the way it was. Gold and David together probably knew more about Black than Black himself; since one of them had spent years resisting the tyrant and the other had been forced to work for him. Plus, if his mom thought those should be the leaders, then they should be, no questions asked.

"Alright, good idea mates. Now that we have decided on a course of action, let's just relax." Not giving anyone time to argue with him, he gently took Neal from Sean's arms, looking lovingly down at the boy he thought was his son.

Everyone decided there was no point in discussing this any further without the leadership present, so they decided to relax. Henry grabbed the storybook from the table, ignoring the adult's idle chatter, and focused on reading. He finally had the chance to satisfy his craving to finish the novel. He didn't even notice when the leaders came out of the study.

"Alright, here's the plan. I need some volunteers to go with me and talk to Robin. We need to combine our resistances, and figure out where everyone is going to stay."

"First, we need to talk to you," Emma said, standing up. Sidney, Sean, and Killian followed suit. Ashley didn't really care to be involved; she'd much rather take care of Alexandra and Neal than get into a fight, and Archie wasn't really the confrontational type. Henry was still engrossed in his book. "We want to be present during your meetings."

"Sorry. Not possible," Regina replied, without a hint of an apology in her voice.

"But why? We can contribute just as much as you can!" Sidney exclaimed.

"See, for most of our meetings, we'll need the work to continue while we figure out what else needs to be done. If everyone was present, it would just slow everything down. That's why we've decided to fill you in on everything later; not because we think you can't help, but because we realize just how helpful you are." Man, Belle could think quickly, the other three realized. Where they'd been stumped, she'd come up with a perfect excuse in a matter of seconds.

The others started to nod in agreement. "It is true that I'm better at spying than plan making," Sidney said proudly, glad his skills were being taken into account.

"And we are better at fieldwork than taking down tyrants," Killian pointed out to Emma, who had to agree that he had a point. That was when Charming noticed the pirate was holding his son, and it took every ounce of self-control to say what he'd been planning to instead of rescuing his son from the other man.

"If you have any ideas, we still want you to come to us with them. We just know that we can get things done quicker this way," David suggested, and all the tension subsided once everyone realized the leaders still cared about their opinions. "So, who wants to come with me to talk with Robin?"

Emma, Killian, Sean, and Sidney all volunteered. It was right then that Henry got to the end of the storybook, reading about Emma being put in the wardrobe. Suddenly, all of his memories came flooding back. The young teen did everything he could to keep from hugging Emma, or demanding to know what exactly was going on from his other mom. That would have to wait until he could get Regina alone. Instead, the young boy volunteered to show them where Robin's camp was, since he was the only one who knew its location besides Archie, whom no one was going to let traverse the forest in his present condition.

As soon as David's group left the house, Regina and Gold went into the study to 'research' Black's weaknesses, aka practice magic. Belle grabbed the storybook and plopped onto the couch to do some actual research, while Ashley took care of the babies. Archie attempted to help both Ashley and Belle, but Ashley didn't want him to strain himself and Belle said she worked better alone, so the psychiatrist was left with absolutely nothing to do. All the options he came up with either involved movements that would cause him pain, or were just plain useless to the resistance. He thought about trying to help Regina and Gold, but they had made it crystal clear that they didn't need any assistance before locking themselves in the study.

So, the psychiatrist grabbed a pen and paper, and started to write. Someone should keep record on what the resistance was doing and the information they already had, and seeing as he was the only one not doing anything, it might as well be him.

…

He screamed out in frustration, and Regina was glad she'd thought to make the room soundproof before they started the practice. Apparently, just because Gold had his memories back didn't mean he had his magic back. He did, to some extent, but it was very weak, and he had to fight just to create a normal-sized ball of fire.

"Maybe you should try a different approach," Regina suggested. He glared at her.

"Don't you tell me how to do magic, dearie! I'm the one who best knows how it works, not you!" First he'd acted like a complete coward, and now he couldn't even cast simple spells. It seemed this curse was determined to make him look weak.

"Just giving you your own advice," Regina countered, not bothered in the slightest by his sudden outburst.

"I've tried using many different emotions to fuel my magic, but none of them are working well!" he admitted, using a loud volume.

"Well, my magic is working fine," Regina gloated, and he tried shooting a fireball at her, only to have her block it. Until that moment, Regina hadn't realized exactly how weak his magic seemed to be. "Calm down, Gold. We'll figure this out."

Gold sighed, resisting the urge to smash everything in sight. Regina was right; they'd figure out what was stopping his magic, and the second he regained his power, he was going to release all of his pent up anger on the man who'd caused all this trouble.

…

Zelena had no idea whom she was fighting, and honestly, she was a bit more concerned about making it out of the battle alive than wondering about her attacker's identity. When Black had said that they were going to take an important piece off the chessboard, the Wicked Witch hadn't realized the piece would be so powerful.

She dodged out of the way of a blast of snow, shooting a fireball at the cloaked figure. Since all her opponent seemed to be using was magic related to snow and ice, the witch figured fire would probably be a weakness. She didn't really know that for certain yet, however, because none of the dozens of fireballs she'd thrown had hit her target. Black was having similar luck, better stated as lack of luck.

Then, Black grinned wickedly as he had an idea, creating an entire wall of fire and pushing it toward their opponent at the speed of an airplane. The man, or woman, Zelena couldn't be sure, created an ice shield, protecting him from the fire, but destroying the shield in the process. It left him totally unprepared for the blast of fire Zelena had sent directly behind the wall, having done so at Black's silent bidding. He'd been able to communicate what he planned to do without talking. Their adversary grunted, and fell to the ground, clutching his side.

Black slowly walked over, to where the injured person was struggling to get back up, and continue the fight. "I. Will. Win," he said, slowly and deliberately enunciating every word, the last three words the cloaked figure would hear. Black raised his hand to smite his foe, knowing the he couldn't escape, with his henchwoman nearby and a cliff leading to the river behind the injured person. He would finally defeat the meddlesome man, and focus completely on destroying the resistance.

"No, you won't." Only Black was close enough to here that his victim spoke, but before he could respond by killing him, the idiot rolled of the cliff, into the raging waters below. Black knew that by the time he got down there, his quarry would be long gone. Oh well, no matter. There was no way he would survive the angry river. Black could treat him like he was dead, because he was, and could focus on the resistance. Things were about to start going terribly wrong for Operation Cobra.

…

Henry had decided within the first five minutes to try to talk with David about the entire situation while they walked, so he'd know more sooner. However, the Prince was too busy staring daggers into Killian's back for holding Emma's hand to notice his grandson's attempts to get his attention. Finally, Henry had to resign himself to the fact that he was going to have to wait to figure out what the adults knew about this new curse.

The teen sighed, and kicked a rock down the trail, watching it as it skidded to a stop. At least the inanimate object couldn't avoid interacting with him. He kicked it again, only to prove his thought wrong, because this time the rock skidded off the path into the creek. Henry watched helplessly as it made its escape into the water, only to see someone, floating face up in the water.

Without warning, Henry dashed into the cold water, ready to be a hero again and save the limp person. Soon, however, David and Emma overtook him, Killian gently holding the lad back and telling him to 'Let the adults handle it.'

They pulled him out of the water, and Charming almost dropped him while Henry let out a gasp of shock. "Come on," Emma said, exasperated at David's lapse of concentration. What she didn't realize was that it was completely warranted; of course the Prince would be distracted once he realized that the person he was carrying looked like the teen who had kidnapped Henry and tried to take his heart. Of course David would have second thoughts about rescuing the former tyrant of Neverland, Peter Pan.

…

_He watched as the evil man poured the bottle into the well, realizing he was too late to stop the curse from taking effect. However, he couldn't have been more wrong. As soon as the mist started to swirl around him, signifying the coming of this curse, he realized it was unlike the one Regina had cast on Storybrooke. While almost the same in purpose, it was different in price, instead of sacrificing the one you love most, you hand some of the control of what happens over to the one who hates you the most._

_ He did his best to keep the town in basically the same way; leaving everyone in their current jobs and such. Of course, there were things he couldn't control, his enemy had been able to make some things go his way. However, he'd overlooked one important detail, and that would be his undoing. It wasn't even that difficult to convince this new curse to let Regina retain her memories as she had before. It was impossible for everyone else, part of the caster's unwavering stipulations being that the memories had to be changed, like the first curse. And, as he had forgotten, Regina had retained her memories in the first curse._

_ Satisfied that he'd tipped enough things against the enemy's favor, he felt the curse turn into reality. At least he'd been able to give Rumpelstiltskin a fighting chance._

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Just FYI, I won't be including anything from season 4 in this fic, but I am excited for the premiere tonight. I can't wait to see what happens on the show, and if anyone wants to talk about it, or has an idea for a story involving season four, feel free to pm me.**


	10. Information Gained

**Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update guys. Life and writer's block hit at about the same time, making this a struggle. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.**

**...**

**Previously on Twice Cursed**

******Gold had rescued Sean, Ashley, and the babies, so Black no longer had anything to hold over Emma and Killian.**

******Henry got to the end of the storybook, reading about Emma being put in the wardrobe. Suddenly, all of his memories came flooding back.**

**Apparently, just because Gold had his memories back didn't mean he had his magic back. He did, to some extent, but it was very weak, and he had to fight just to create a normal-sized ball of fire.**

**_ As soon as the mist started to swirl around him, signifying the coming of this curse, he realized it was unlike the one Regina had cast on Storybrooke. While almost the same in purpose, it was different in price, instead of sacrificing the one you love most, you hand some of the control of what happens over to the one who hates you the most._**

**They pulled him out of the water, and Charming almost dropped him while Henry let out a gasp of shock. "Come on," Emma said, exasperated at David's lapse of concentration. What she didn't realize was that it was completely warranted; of course the Prince would be distracted once he realized that the person he was carrying looked like the teen who had kidnapped Henry and tried to take his heart.**

* * *

Belle looked up when the door opened, surprised that they were back so soon. David's group should have been gone much longer. However, when she saw David and Emma carrying an unconscious Pan into the house, she realized something must have gone wrong. "Is that …" she asked, just to make sure it was Pan as she got off the couch, letting them lay the teen on it.

"I think so," David said.

"I agree." David and Belle stared at Henry for a second, wondering how the young boy got his memories back, before remembering they had a more important situation to deal with.

"I'll go get Rumple," Belle said, getting up and heading toward the office. David and Emma lay the teen down on the couch, after Ashley moved out of the way and went to stand by Sean. Per David's request, Archie moved further away from the couch, wondering why the young man was such a threat.

Soon, the two sorcerers were out of the study and looking at Pan. Regina immediately grabbed handcuffs off of Emma's belt (she'd taken them when they'd left the police station and joined the resistance) and used them to cuff their adversary's hands behind his back, enchanting them to block his magic. While he could probably break out of that easily, she hoped it would by them a little time.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked.

"I know him. He works with Black."

"Ok, but he's also a hurt teenager. Are the handcuffs really necessary?" Emma objected.

"Yes," Gold, Regina, Henry, David, and Belle all said simultaneously.

"If you don't mind me asking mates, how do you know the lad?"

Henry was about to say that Pan kidnapped him, but he realized the sheriff and deputy would want to know why they hadn't been notified of this, so he really couldn't think of an answer.

"We don't have time for that now," Regina snapped. "We'll catch you up later. For right now, you all need to go find Robin, before Black does." Somehow, David was able to convince his group to head out again, leaving Regina and Gold to deal with the new threat. "Belle, help me move him into the study."

Rumple wanted to object, and say that he could help Regina just fine, but Belle was already gripping Pan's legs. Besides, he wasn't sure he would be able to support the extra weight without the help of his cane. So, he limped after them, wondering if there was anything he could do to actually help, or if he was simply useless. With little magic and his limp, he was really more of a hindrance than a help to Operation Cobra, or at least, that's how he saw it.

After setting Pan down in a chair, Belle left to continue her research. Regina used magic to secure the child sorcerer in place, before looking at Gold. "Should we wake him now, or wait until it happens naturally."

"Wake him," Gold asserted, curious and angry about his father's presence. Regina waved her hand in front of his face, and the teen woke up. "What are you doing here, Papa?"

Pan took one look at the anger on his interrogators' faces, and knew they weren't ready for the truth yet. "Why, laddie, I'm just popping in to say hello."

"Tell me now, Papa," Rumple yelled, eyes flashing dangerously with anger.

"You pride yourself on your cleverness, Rumple. Why don't you tell me?" The smirk on Pan's face didn't waver even as Gold approached him.

"I don't think it really matters why you're here, you're too much of a threat to keep alive."

He formed a fireball in his hand, preparing to end his father's life; again. "So, Regina will defeat Black all on her own then?" Gold, hating what his father was implying, stopped to hear him out. "Because you're not going to be much of a help, laddie. I, however …"

"And why should we trust you?" Regina interrupted. "All you've ever done is try to kill us."

"True, but we have a common enemy this time; Black."

"And why would you side with us over him?" Rumple demanded.

"Let's just say, where you are my rival, Black's my nemesis, and leave it at that." Rumple looked into his eyes, and could tell he was speaking the truth, at least about hating Black.

"Fine, Papa, but as soon as Black is gone, you better leave, or I will kill you."

"You mean you'll try," Pan corrected, a grin spreading wider across his face as Regina removed the handcuffs. "So, what's your plan?"

…

Mary Margaret walked into the practically empty dinner, sitting down at a table, alone. Soon, however, she was joined by Ruby, who was on shift, but didn't have much to do at the moment. "How was school?" the waitress questioned.

"Fine. It's been harder without Henry. He was one of the only ones willing to participate in class." Ruby nodded.

"I don't really know much about Henry, but I do know that ever since Mayor Mills and Mr. Black started fighting, it's been harder on everyone. People are too scared of being caught in the middle of a showdown to even enter the diner. That's why there's no one here." The conversation lulled into an uncomfortable silence, both wanting to continue the conversation, but not knowing how their friend would receive their thoughts.

Finally, Mary Margaret spoke up. "You know, Emma joined the Mayor's side." Emma was a great friend of theirs.

"Yeah, I heard." Another awkward silence ensued, both trying to gauge the other's opinion on the matter. "You know," Ruby eventually continued, "we could follow her example. I mean, I know it would be dangerous, and …"

"Let's do it," Snow interrupted. "Regina can't be any worse than Black, and if Emma joined her, she's probably better. Besides, what can he do to get revenge on us if the resistance is protecting us?" Ruby smiled, glad she and her friend were on the same page.

"Well, in that case, what are we waiting for?"

…

"Luckily for you, I know why your magic isn't responding well." Regina and Gold had filled Pan in on everything he needed to know, and now the ancient teen decided to tell them a bit more of what he knew. "It's because of Black."

"How can he block my magic?"

"He can't, laddie. He's using it." Yep, he'd been right not to tell them everything off the bat, judging by their expressions. He wasn't going to be able to explain as much as he'd wanted to.

"How can he just steal my magic and use it for himself?"

"Quite simple, laddie. The curse he cast is almost identical to Regina's, but Black cast it for a different purpose, and it has different rules. Suffice it to say, he has orchestrated things so that he can become the next Dark One. Once everyone in this town is willing to listen to him over you, you will no longer have your magic, and vice versa. If you can convince everyone to join in your fight against Black, you will defeat him." That was a bit of a stretch of the truth, but it would have to do for now.

"How is that possible? No one can take the Dark One's powers without stabbing him with the dagger," Regina insisted.

"You are wrong, obviously, and I would explain why if I thought that you and Rumple would be able to wrap your tiny brains around the truth, but seeing as that isn't possible, you're just going to have to trust me."

"We can understand the truth, if you just tell us," Regina said.

Pan snorted. "I highly doubt that." Before she gave in to her temptation to throw a fireball at him, Belle barged in.

"Ruby and Mary Margaret are here! They decided to join us in the fight against Black!"

"Really, dearie? That's wonderful news," Rumple exclaimed.

"Do it now, laddie." Rumple looked at his father questioningly. "Magic. Use your magic now." He obliged, shooting a fireball. While it was still much weaker than normal, it did feel a little stronger than it had earlier that very day. "Told you, laddie. It's stronger because you have more supporters. Now, are we going to go meet our new members?"

"They're _our_ new members, you have nothing to do with it. Rumpelstiltskin and I will go greet them, but you are going to stay right here."

"Fine," he pouted as they left, locking him in the study. As soon as they were gone, he lay down on the floor. He could tell Rumpelstiltskin was going through a rather hard time, and he'd need all the help he could get. He was asleep in a matter of seconds, and then he spoke in his sleep. "I come back to the Netherworld, to help with my quest. I do not return yet, but I will as soon as my job is done." Then, he lay completely still, looking almost like he was in a sleeping curse, as his spirit entered the world between worlds.

…

David slipped up next to Henry as they walked, having asked Emma and Killian to watch the rear. Sean and Sidney were talking pretty loudly right behind them, so David figured it was safe to talk to Henry without being overheard. "So, you have your memories back?"

"Yeah, hi Gramps," Henry greeted, resisting the urge to hug David. After all, everyone else in their group would ask why, and then he'd have to come up with a fake explanation, and he really didn't feel like doing that. "So, what's going on?"

David filled him in as they walked, careful to lower his voice whenever Sidney and Sean did. "Wow," was all Henry could say once David finished. "So, what does Pan have to do with any of this?"

"You're guess is as good as mine. Actually, it would probably be better," David admitted. Henry grinned at the praise.

"Henry!" Charming tensed, only to realize that it was just Robin headed toward them, and he relaxed as Henry ran over and hugged the archer.

"Hey, Robin. Don't worry about Archie, he's doing great, but he's still recovering."

"Alright. It's good to see you again. Is that the only reason you came here, to tell me how Archie was doing?"

"No. Actually, we wanted to combine forces, to make it easier to stop Black," Charming informed him.

"Sounds like a good idea. What exactly is your plan for how we will work together?" David grinned a little sheepishly.

"I thought you would want to help come up with the plan?" he asked, rather than said.

"Alright then, why don't you come back to the camp and we can work things out. Maybe, along the way, you can explain how the sheriff and deputy decided to turn on Black," he suggested, already walking off toward his abode. Everyone quickly followed him.

"We just finally mustered up the courage to stand up to him. We've been wanting to for a while now, and so we just finally did." Robin nodded, accepting Emma's answer.

"So, do you have any ideas on how this will work? Are we …"

It was at that moment that David's phone decided to interrupt the conversation, and he answered it quickly when he saw it was Belle. "Hi Belle, we're just …" Apparently, she'd cut him off, and he listened intently, growing pale at her words.

"We'll be there soon," he agreed, hanging up. "They were attacked by Black."

"Henry, go tell my men to meet us at Regina's house," Robin ordered, following the other adults toward the Mayor's abode. Henry sighed, thinking it unfair that he'd done more as a hero before he had his memories back than now, before going to get the Merry Men.

…

It had happened so fast. Regina and Gold had been greeting the deserters, and then Black had burst in, face twisted in furry. "Your shield spell is weak," he'd spat at Regina, before throwing both her and Gold against the wall. The others in the room were frozen with shock. Belle, who'd been in the kitchen, used her hidden position as an opportunity to call for help, although if Regina was no match for Black, she didn't know that David would be of use.

Black spoke to Rumpelstiltskin. "I'm not letting you get any more supporters! This has gone on long enough! All of you have a choice, join me, or die!" His demand was met with silence, so he jerked Ashley toward him. She just managed to hand the babies to Archie before she was standing directly in front of the evil sorcerer.

"You first, dear. Do you prefer death, or life?"

"I… I," she stammered, too terrified to speak coherently. Even if she had been able to say something, she wouldn't have known what to vocalize.

"Looks like you need an example," he said, using magic to throw her backward onto the floor. "Let's see …" That's when he noticed Belle, who'd just hung up and was trying to sneak into the study. She hated Pan, but if Rumple trusted him in this situation, than she would too, and he needed to be informed of what was going on. "How about you?" he asked, jerking Belle close to him, with an evil grin spreading across his face. "Death or life?"

"I'd choose death before ever joining you," she spat.

"Very well." He rose his hand to kill her, and that's when Rumple snapped. He couldn't fight through the magic, so he only had one way to attempt to save Belle's life.

"No, please," he begged. "I'll tell you where I keep the dagger, and you can steal the rest of my magic that way. Just please, don't hurt Belle," he sobbed.

"You have an interesting amount of knowledge. How do you know what I'm after?" He saw the look on Regina and Rumple's faces, and continued before they could answer. "Wait, the boy was here wasn't he?" Rumple nodded, glad to keep him talking, if it meant postponing Belle's death. "He's still alive? Well, he's much stronger than I thought. Where is he?!"

Zelena chose that moment to speak. She'd been standing there, watching in fascination the whole time, but she hadn't needed to do anything to help Black until now. "She was headed toward the study," she pointed out, gesturing toward Belle. "Perhaps he's in there?" Black waved his hand, and they were all standing in the study, surrounding the sleeping body of the teen.

Black took about ten steps back, eyes filled with fear. "Zelena, kill him now!"

"Why are you scared of him? It looks like he's in a sleeping curse, he can't harm you."

"I said kill him now! Before he does something!"

"But what could he possibly …"

"Too late," Pan said, standing up and smirking. "Although, I am a bit disappointed that you didn't touch me. That would have made my job a whole lot easier."

"What were you doing in the Netherworld?" Black demanded, not wanting to kill the lad until he knew what he'd been up too.

"Getting him some more help, or at least, trying to." Black accepted that answer, and Pan wondered how he could be such an idiot. Black knew he was an expert on the Netherworld, if he went there to get help, he would be able to get it.

"Someone want to explain what's going on!" Regina demanded, looking between Black and Pan. Everyone else was totally lost, especially Ashley, Archie, Mary Margaret, and Ruby, who were still trying to wake up from a nightmare, which was the only logical explanation they saw for this turn of events.

"Might as well tell them before you kill us," Pan suggested. "Otherwise, they'll never know how brilliant you are." Black glared at him.

"Flattery doesn't work on me. Never the less, I suppose I could tell you my story. After all, Gold, I would like you to know who you're losing to." Pan grinned triumphantly, and Black started his story.

…

On the other side of town, a young boy, about fourteen years of age, woke up on the asphalt. "Papa?" he called out, wondering where his father could be. For that matter, where was his house, or the rest of his village? Perhaps, this was just a strange dream. That seemed likely, seeing as he had no idea what the grey material he was standing on was. Or maybe, he'd been sucked into another realm. His papa could have discovered a way to get him here, so he wouldn't be recruited to fight in the Ogre War in a few days. If that was the case, then his dad should be around here somewhere. "Papa?" he called out again.

"Maybe we can help." He turned around, seeing several armed men, and a boy a few years younger than him. "What's your name, and you're father's name? We have time to find him before we have to get to my house," the boy offered.

"Thank you so much. My name is Baelfire, and my father is Rumpelstiltskin."


	11. Backstories

**Previously on Twice Cursed**

**Fine, Papa, but as soon as Black is gone, you better leave, or I will kill you." "You mean you'll try," Pan corrected, a grin spreading wider across his face as Regina removed the handcuffs. "So, what's your plan?"**

**"Ruby and Mary Margaret are here! They decided to join us in the fight against Black!"**

**He was asleep in a matter of seconds, and then he spoke in his sleep. "I come back to the Netherworld, to help with my quest. I do not return yet, but I will as soon as my job is done." Then, he lay completely still, looking almost like he was in a sleeping curse, as his spirit entered the world between worlds.**

**"They were attacked by Black." ** **"Henry, go tell my men to meet us at Regina's house," Robin ordered, following the other adults toward the Mayor's abode. Henry sighed, thinking it unfair that he'd done more as a hero before he had his memories back than now, before going to get the Merry Men.**

**"Flattery doesn't work on me. Never the less, I suppose I could tell you my story. After all, Gold, I would like you to know who you're losing to." Pan grinned triumphantly, and Black started his story.**

**"My name is Baelfire, and my father is Rumpelstiltskin."**

Henry stood, shocked by the boy's answer. His father was alive! So what if he was a kid, he was still alive, and Henry wanted nothing more to embrace him.

"Um, sorry, but we don't know …" Little John started to say, but Henry cut him off.

"Yeah, Rumpelstiltskin's this way. He's kind of under attack right now, but we're working on rescuing him. You want to come?" Bae nodded, and followed them.

"Uh, Henry, there's a Rumpelstiltskin in the resistance?" Little John asked.

"Yeah. Why do you think Mr. Gold never uses his first name?" Henry found his mind was swimming with different thoughts; about the resistance, whether or not they were too late to save them, and how they would defeat a sorcerer when both of their magicians were pinned to the wall. But, the most prominent thought was the joy he felt at his father being alive.

…

"My story starts centuries ago, long before any of you were born, and when magicians were much more powerful …"

_He was already a sorcerer, and more on the dark side than light, when he attempted to learn one of the darkest spells wizards would ever discover. He strived to steal magic from others, and absorb it into himself, so he could grow in power and become unstoppable. The fairies had recently discovered a spell to take power, and disperse it back into nature, so why couldn't there be one that let him keep the magic for himself? After several years of experimentation, he finally cracked it. The spell that would allow him to become unstoppable, and steal the magic of anyone who dared to stand in his way._

_He ravaged the land, searching for any magician he could find, stripping them of their magic. His power grew and grew, until he was too powerful to be stopped. Not even if all the wizards in all of the realms came together would they be able to stop him. The Dark One, they'd started to call him, after his evil ways. The name fit, and he used it to strike fear into people's hearts, which made him even more powerful. Even after he was confident that no one would ever be able to stop him, he continued to suck the magic away from every magical being he encountered, and slay every living thing that didn't pay him tribute._

_That was when the White Fairy came up with her plan. There was no way to defeat the Dark One, that much was obvious. He was much too powerful. However, if a way to control him could be discovered, than perhaps the world would stand a chance._

_There was only one way the fairy knew of to control a powerful magician against their will; by forcing their magic into an object. Then, whoever possessed the object would control the sorcerer. There was no way she could bind him to an object without him realizing; so she bound her own magic, to a dagger. Giving it to her apprentice, Blue, the White Fairy left her sisters and went out of hiding, letting the Dark One find her._

_At first, he'd been ecstatic. The amount of magic he would gain from her would make it easier to play with his victims. Life was about to get even more fun and interesting. However, once he'd fully absorbed her magic, he could feel the bondage to the dagger spreading to all of his magic. Before it could completely take over, he managed to kill the White Fairy, the one who'd been a pure and strong force for good. This act twisted him, turning his skin to scales and making him ugly. He was furious, but for once, he couldn't take it out on anyone, for the Blue Fairy stopped him; controlling him effectively with the dagger._

_It was a few centuries of peace before the Dark One was able to manipulate some poor soul into stealing the dagger from the fairies. He'd wanted to stop people from insulting him, or something along those lines. Unfortunately, after the bullies had been properly dealt with, the man decided he didn't want the Dark One around anymore. If the bullies ever got the dagger from him, he would be utterly destroyed. Instead of risking it, he killed the Dark One, not realizing the consequences._

_When a sorcerer dies, his magic is dispersed into the atmosphere, ready to be used for another purpose. However, the Dark One had been taking magic and forcing it to stay with him, and it wasn't ready to leave yet. Only a little magic dispersed in the transfer, so little that it's impossible to notice when it changes from one Dark One to another. The last thing the original Dark One saw as he died was the look of shock on the other man's face as he turned into the beast he'd been trying to kill._

…

_When he awoke, he was in a strange land, but a land with people, people he could destroy. He moved to kill him, only to be surrounded by a suffocating mist. A mist that was, apparently, intelligent. It held him still as the people, the mist's subjects, for they thought of the mist as a king, built a prison around him. They said he was too dark to be allowed to walk freely in their world, even without magic. It didn't take them that long to finish construction on their prison, or as they called it, a vault, effectively trapping him forever inside their world. Apparently, magicians as powerful as he was didn't die, but rather entered a world between worlds, the Netherworld. Now, he'd be stuck there forever, in an eternal prison instead of ruling the world. But, he vowed that one day he would break free, and regain the power that he'd once had._

_…_

_It was a very long time before he got his wish. He wasn't sure exactly how long, but he roughly measured the time by counting the other Dark Ones that joined him in his prison. They were always unthinking at first, and would only slowly come to their senses. It was once one Rumpelstiltskin, in fact, was rescued by his son, the lad switching places with his father that he realized it was easily possible to get out. It was only a few days after watching Rumpelstiltskin leave that he was able to follow suit, breaking out of his prison to regain his power._

_Some meddlesome boy tried to stop him from leaving the Netherworld and entering the real world, fighting him with weak magic, but he was able to overcome the boy. Or so he'd thought. It had only taken a few minutes for the boy to follow him, right as he was casting his curse. When the Dark One had entered the world, he learned that as long as Rumpelstiltskin had support, he could never regain all of his powers. So, he cast the curse to make sure everyone in the town supported him, instead of the weaker version of evil. Of course, the boy had messed that up, by believing in Rumpelstiltskin even when the rest of the town supported the name he'd given himself; Black. The boy had managed to thwart him at every turn, making sure his rival's support base grew. Now, it wouldn't matter, because Black was going to kill anyone who would rather follow the spinner than him, and make sure that the dagger recognized him as the only one with a claim to the magic. He would get all of his magic back, control the dagger for himself, and take over every realm, until no one would ever be able to defeat him again, not even with a magical dagger._

_…_

Black finished his story, and decided it was high time to start making well on his threat. "So, now you know why I must kill your beloved," he said, turning toward Belle. Regina wondered if another story would stop him.

"Wait, that doesn't explain how Pan ended up as a defender of the Netherworld. I think we'd all like to hear that one."

"Yeah, and maybe next we can hear a story about Little Red Riding Hood traveling to Neverland and baking cookies for the lost boys!" Ruby suggested sarcastically. "I mean, come on, we're in the middle of a battle, and we're stopping for story time?"

"Actually, it's more like history time," Mary Margaret corrected. She didn't know how magic existed, but she couldn't ignore the fact that it did, and that the story their captor had just told was most likely the truth.

"Fine then, Pan, care to tell your story? God forbid I kill anyone without them knowing the full truth first." Black spoke sarcastically, but from the look in his eyes, it was clear that he wanted to learn more about his arch nemesis.

_Well, brains doesn't really seem to be his strong suit, that's for sure_, Pan thought. The guy's greatest weakness seemed to be his love of telling and hearing stories. Well, he wasn't going to complain as long as it bought them more time. "Well, I think the best place to start would be to tell you that I'm not actually Pan."

…

Henry walked up to David, wondering why the rescue group was simply standing outside the mayor's house. Emma and Killian looked like they were trying to break down the door, while everyone else just lulled around. "Henry, thank goodness!" David exclaimed, pulling the boy off to the side. The other adults wondered when Henry had become a leader, but they let the two talk in silence. Bae, however, followed them over.

"Hey, kid, I'm sorry, but …" David started to say, trying to get a private conversation with his grandson.

"It's cool, Gramps. This is Baelfire, and he knows about magic." David's mouth dropped open, and he stared at the teen, shocked.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked, looking back and forth between Henry and Charming.

"No time for that now," Henry said, before turning his attention back to the situation at hand. "So, why aren't you in there fighting Black yet?"

"That's the problem. He locked us out with magic. Emma has no idea she can use magic, and our other two sorcerers are probably too busy fighting Black, so there's no way we can get into the house."

"Get a wand from Gold's shop?" Henry suggested, shrugging. Right now, that seemed like the only possible option.

"Great idea, Henry. I knew you'd think of something. Alright, I'll go get the wand. You stay here and see if you can get Emma to remember." David dashed off before Henry could protest.

"Why doesn't this Emma remember being a sorcerer?" Baelfire asked. It seemed to him like that bit of information would be hard to forget.

"The curse," Henry said, which really didn't explain much to the other boy, but Bae let the subject drop. He could tell his new friend was trying to think. "Gosh, this should be easy! The spell feels weak, but without magic, we can't break it!"

Bae looked at Henry, with slight disbelief, before speaking. "You can feel magic?"

"Yeah, so? Feeling it won't help us."

"Henry, don't you have to be a magician to feel magic?" Henry thought about that for a second, before realization dawned on his face.

"You think I have magic, and could break into the house."

"It's worth a shot." The two boys headed over to the door, which Emma and Killian had given up trying to break through. "You've got this," Baelfire encouraged. Henry breathed deeply, before focusing all his energy on the door. He only let himself think about how much he wanted to get inside; to save his mother and everyone else Black was attacking. Then, there was a loud click, and the door simply swung open. The adults looked over, shocked to see Henry and Bae standing in the doorway with no one on the inside to have opened the door.

"Whoa, kid, how'd you do that?" Emma asked.

Henry grinned widely, knowing she'd never believe his answer. "Magic."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter how, let's go save everyone." Baelfire looked confused by the idea that Emma didn't realize magic existed at all, and Henry had to resist the urge to laugh at the entire situation.

"Hey Henry, I've got the …" David froze, staring at the open door. "But, how …"

"Magic. Now come on, we've got people to save." David shook his head, trying to shake the shock away. His grandson could use magic? Honestly, with Gold, Regina, and Emma, it really shouldn't have been a surprise that he had magic, whether from all his exposure to it or his bloodline.

"Right. Let's go defeat Black." And with that rousing battle speech, the group entered the house, ready to take on anything they came across. Or at least, so they thought.

…

"I'm actually Pan's son." Rumple, Regina, and Belle were all staring at him in disbelief. Even Zelena and Black looked doubtful.

"Well, seeing as I knew you were Peter Pan for an all of two seconds, this comes as a real shock," Ruby said sarcastically.

"I don't have a brother," Rumple asserted forcefully, glaring the man down.

"You just don't remember me," he said softly, all of Pan's bravado gone. "See, when we were children …

_"See, look," Rumple said, showing the bean to his older brother. "The spinners gave it to me. We can use it to start a new life. Maybe Papa will be better in a different land."_

_Jack really wanted to believe his brother was right, he truly did, but he was much older. He knew that no matter what land they were in, Malcolm would be selfish. However, he didn't know how to convince Rumple. "Not all people can change that easily, Rumple, and I don't think Papa wants to be better."_

_"But, then what should we do?" he asked, realizing that his brother might be right. "We can't just leave him behind!"_

_"I'll tell you what, buddy. We'll give him a few more chances to be better, and if he isn't, then we'll leave. Sound fair?"_

_"I guess," Rumple said, kicking his shoe in the dirt. Maybe Jack was right, and anyway, at least this gave Malcolm a chance to prove himself._

_"You'd leave me all alone, Jack?" Both boys turned around, startled to see Malcolm approaching. "I knew you didn't care about me; you only care about him." At 'him,' Malcolm pointed at Rumple. "I'm not going to let you get away with trying to abandon me, either of you."_

_"Look, Papa, I …"_

_Malcolm didn't give his eldest son a chance to finish, but lunged at him, holding him still. "I acquired a memory altering potion, boys. Rumple, you'll think I abandoned you, as you tried to abandon me."_

_"But Papa," the young boy sobbed, trying to explain that he hadn't wanted to leave him. Malcolm just ignored the plea._

_"As for you, Jack, your curse will be remembering, forever. All you'll be able to do is think about the suffering you caused your brother, and how you tore apart this family." With that, Pan pricked Jack with a needle, and the teen fell to the ground, where he would sleep for a long, long time._

_…_

"Where did he even get the magic?" Regina interrupted. She didn't even believe him, but she wanted to see if he could explain away his plot holes.

"I don't know, but I always assumed he stole it. He was rather good at that." Regina nodded, of course he would say he didn't know. However, she seemed to be the only skeptical one.

"You really are my brother," Rumple whispered, and he wasn't sure what emotions he should be feeling for the teen.

"How do you know?" Regina questioned.

"Pan's a good liar, but he couldn't pull this off. He wouldn't even think to trick me this way," Gold explained. Well, if Rumple thought so, than who was she to argue.

"I believe you were in the middle of a story," Black said, forcing Jack back on track.

"Right, so, I was under a sleeping curse …"

_Jack knew he had no one to break the spell. His brother, the only one who had ever loved him, didn't even remember him. Instead, he wandered the dark halls, forced to worry about Rumple for an eternity. How long had it been? Was his brother even still alive? He had no idea._

_Finally, one day, he snapped. He had to get to his brother, and make sure the lad knew he was loved. There had to be a way out of his prison besides true love! It was then that he thought to break through the floor, which only put him in a much worse situation. Fire, all around him and trying to burn him. Surely he was going to die here._

_After what felt like an eternity, the heat was just too much. He would give anything for cold, for the ice he'd hated as a child because all it meant was he'd be damp and shivering. Now, it meant relief. He imagined that ice coming in, and covering the entire room, putting out the flames. The amazing thing was, it did. Jack stood, in the once fiery furnace, and enjoyed the chill in the air._

_That was when the mist, King of the Netherworld, sensed a disturbance. It came to Jack, calling him Jack Frost, based on his power, and listened to his story. Once he heard the teen's past, he agreed to let Jack out of the sleeping rooms, as long as Jack agreed to help children fight off their nightmares. Of course he agreed, and for a long time, he helped children. The name of Jack Frost became known in many areas; and everyone seemed to have a different idea on his personality. He didn't care what they thought of him, because all that mattered was his ability to help others, the way he'd failed to save Rumple._

_Eventually, a Dark One had escaped the vault, and made it to the Land Without Magic. Jack went to the mist, and begged it to let him stop the evil sorceror. It agreed, so long as Jack promised to return when his job was done. He'd followed the Dark One out, and only once the curse was being cast did he realize that the brother he'd thought was long dead was still alive, and was, in fact, the target of Black's curse._

…

"And I do believe I caught you up to the present," Jack concluded.

"Indeed, you have. Now, I've prolonged your deaths for far too long." Black started walking toward Belle, a malicious grin spreading across his face.

"Wait, don't you want to hear my backstory?" Regina suggested, trying to buy more time.

"No!" Black yelled, finally deciding he'd had enough. "I will not be delayed any longer!" He walked until he was standing right in front of Belle.

"Don't you even," Zelena snarled, as Ruby and Mary Margaret had started moving closer to Black. They both froze in place, realizing there was nothing they could do.

"I hope he's worth it," Black told Belle.

"He's worth this and more," she told him bravely.

"No, Belle!" Rumple yelled as Black raised his hand, ready to smite Gold's true love.

* * *

**Author's Note: For those of you who are interested, I've started a new story, called Freeing Hearts. Don't worry, I'm still working on this one. Anyway, it's a non-magical AU where Cora is Queen and Snow is the leader of a resistance trying to stop her. My story focuses on Regina, Henry, Emma, Killian, Ruby, and Archie. It will also heavily include Rumple, Belle, and of course Cora. If this sounds interesting, you guys should check it out.**


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